Four guys above, four guys below. Wesley Johnson is the man in the middle of our
9 players, 9 days series. Thoughts and info after the jump.
Age: 23 (in July)
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 195 lbs. (DraftExpress), 198 lbs. (ESPN)
If fit or team needs were the primary concern, Wesley Johnson would probably be at the top of this list. If I take a step back and look at the Sixers roster, the #1 need in the short term is a wing who can score and shoot. Wesley Johnson is that guy. Deep range on his jumper, positional versatility, decent defender (at least). I firmly believe Johnson could step in and be a 20 ppg scorer playing off Jrue and Iguodala's playmaking skills. He wouldn't be a liability on the defensive end and he'd help the running game. Short term, the guy who definitely makes this team better in 2010-2011 is Wesley Johnson.
Long term, does he move the needle enough? The odds of Johnson becoming a superstar are probably nonexistent. I believe he's going to be a really solid pro. I think if Jrue really progresses, Johnson could make a career off of drive-and-kick situations. He could score a ton of points. But if you're of the mind that you absolutely have to have a superstar to be truly relevant in this league, Johnson isn't going to be that guy. In a weird way, he'd probably hurt your chances of getting a superstar in the draft by making the team better.
If you're asking yourself why I have Johnson at #5, considering I think he's the best fit, the answer is simple. I think the four guys above him all have a chance at being a superstar, a guy who can carry a team. Johnson is a cog, and a very good one, but the other four all have the potential to be a centerpiece, in one way or another.
YouTube is having some problems right now, but this link should take you to a
Wesley Johnson highlight reel.
To be clear, if the Sixers wind up at #6 or lower I'll be completely thrilled if Wesley Johnson winds up being the pick. No hesitation, he's a great fit. He's probably worth trading up for as well. But if they wind up with a top-three pick, he shouldn't be a consideration.
Here's a look at my top 9, including WJ:
9. Ed Davis
8. Cole Aldrich
7. Ekpe Udoh
6. Al-Farouq Aminu
5. Wesley Johnson
4. Coming tomorrow
Thoughts in the comments, as usual. Check back around noon for this week's "Pressing Questions" thread.
I agree totally and think he will be there at #6 because one G.M. in front of us will fall in love with a big during workouts. I actually like the Thad/Johnson/Iggy trio more than the Aminu/Thad/Iggy trio at the 4/3/2 because of their ability to score the ball and rebound good enough. Derek, a while back you mentioned you didn!t think his rebounding would translate to the N.B.A. . Could you elaborate?
I think good rebounding at PF is much more important than at SF. Especially in terms of securing defensive rebounds. And Aminu projects to be a dramatically better rebounder than Thad.
If we do luck out and get Johnson at #6, I still don't see Thad as the four for us. He just can't hack it on the boards enough to play that position.
Right now, my feelings on Thad are pretty clear. He's got this season to prove he can legitimately play the three, period. If he doesn't show me something, I'm not extending him. No way. Not even for the money they gave Lou Williams.
If we get Johnson, the starting five is Dalembert, Brand, Johnson, Iguodala and Jrue. And they're a playoff team this season.
In the East. That team would not make it in the West. Not that it matters.
I love me some Wesley Johnson. Yeah, he's a great fit currently, but he's probably a great fit regardless of the personnel we have in 4 years as well. His game projects very well. I love his jump shot. The lift he gets, his release point, the consistency. You could watch him shoot 200 jumpers and the release would be nearly identical in all of him.
Combine that with length, athleticism, and touch around the rim, and you have a pretty valuable player. If we walk out of here with Wesley Johnson, I consider this a win.
(and if we move into top 3 I consider it an epic win, but obviously Johnson isn't one of the top 3 prospects.)
Also add that he is a unselfish and thrives scoring within the offense and rarely dominates the ball. Also projects to be a good defender/rebounder/athlete. Sounds like an ideal complementary piece (in a good way.)
In terms of the Sixers there a very few home runs in this draft. But Johnson would be like a nice lead off double.
This may have been covered yesterday, but did you see Ford's write up of Bradley from the Chicago camp? Pretty intriguing.
Yeah, I linked to it in the comments yesterday. He's going to move up boards from workouts, especially with the measurements and any time a team gets him in a 3-on-3 or 1-on-1 situation he's going to dominate with that defense. I'd absolutely love to get him somehow, but I bet he makes it into the late lottery when all is said and done.
Even with his struggles (respective to what was expected) I thought he was a late lottery pick. I was dumbfounded when he started dropping like he did. I'd be surprised if he wasn't 15-20 AT THE WORST when all is said and done.
I think Johnson's game would be a perfect fit for our squad. I'm seeing a lower mileage (they are the same age), better defending, better shooting version of Rudy Gay. 20 ppg, 7 reb, 1 blk, and 40% from deep. I'll take it. Just like Iggy- not a classic superstar- but certainly has 2nd tier star potential. Does three second tier stars (Jrue, Iggy, Johnson) = one superstar?
I'm not sure if Jrue, Iguodala + Johnson equals one superstar, but if you get that core together coming out of this draft, you've two of your guys on rookie contracts, plus Iguodala. Meaning, before those rookie deals expire, you may have a chance to add a max contract guy to it. In two seasons, when Brand becomes an expiring deal, if you don't make any stupid decisions between now and then, maybe you can go out and get another star, or superstar, to add to the core you have.
Collecting talent never hurts. Even if that triumvirate can't win (and by win I mean contend), it opens up a lot in terms of potential trades as well.
What if you had Jrue, Dala, Johnson & a Speights who becomes a passable defender and solid on the glass(aka Amare-lite)? Would those 4 be enough of a foundation? You get a Defensive Anchor(aka a Smarter Sam) and you could do some damage
Deep Sixer has a point about falling in love - in a draft like this - some guy might slip because of the 'you can't teach height' maxim that people still live by - one good workout from aldrich could put him above a guy like johnson just due to his height - which benefits the sixers immensely (not only making johnson available at six but making aldrich unavailable, double winner)
I always think of Marvin Williams and Sheldon Williams as examples of that. Locally, Hughes jumps to mind
Hell one of the reasons Igudoala is a sixer is that the raptors were dumb as hammers with the 8 pick.
If somehow he is there at 6 they should race the card to the podium. He'll hit 20 ppg easily and in a few years I think he could settle in around 24 25 a year. He shoots the three effortlessly . Him and Iguodala would really compliment each other perfectly on the wing. I don't see how he falls to 6 unless someone falls in love with Aminu or even Whiteside. I could see detroit going for one of those two and allowing Johnson to drop.
WEll I do hope he'll do more in the NBA than score points - it's nice and all - but he's not much use if he can't defend
You have to bank on one of the shitty franchises who were worse than us making a bad decision. Aminu could rise. Maybe Aldrich will wow some people by being able to walk and chew gum at the same time. There's always a chance something crazy happens is Minnesota is ahead of us.
True Kahn is a bad gm and they need a center so I could see them taking Aldrich to go with Big Al. John, Johnson is going to be an exceptional defender and can defend multiple positions his length really bothers people and the most important thing is that you can tell he actually cares about that side of the ball.
I wish Indy was picking #5. They're a lock for a stupid pick, probably Gordon Hayward or Aldrich.
Let's not forget that Golden state is a franchise in transition and run by nut jobs too...i still hope it won't matter for the isxers cause they'll get lottery luck but if they don't and it plays out more to form - there will be 'dumb' teams in front of themm.
This morning on mike and mike Avery johnson talked about lebron to new jersey over chicago (job campaigning maybe) and how new jersey was guaranteed to get at least the #2 pick.
Made me smile
Unreal. I really don't want that guy.
is wesly johnson like a ray allen?
Nah. I wouldn't give anyone that kind of label coming out of college, Allen's one of the best shooters we've seen in the past couple decades. Johnson's probably more like Rashard Lewis, but maybe he'll rebound a little more.