Seems I’m higher on David Johnson than most. He is a really excellent passer, which you have to actually see the games to understand. His vision and control of the game are really impressive. His shot has consistently improved, leading me to believe that this year wasn’t a fluke. His defense is really solid which should be good for 1-3 due to his size and wingspan. Turnovers are a bit of an issue but I think when he is asked to due less it’ll subside

Comparison: Lonzo

Ceiling: Jalen Rose Esque Floor: Young Sato

David Johnson is a big point guard with nice skills. He can be reluctant to take threes, but he significantly improved that shot this year. He can post up smaller players and has some playmaking skills. I really like this guy''s game and he should be one of the biggest sleepers in this class. He played with a crafty scoring guard in Carlik Jones which gave him less pressure to score, so I'm questioning his ability to make shots when he's asked to create given his inexperience in that position, more of a catch and shoot guy.

Projected draft range: 50-undrafted

Height 6'5 Weight 203 lbs Wingspan 6'11 DOB Feb 26, 2001 (20 years old) Pre-Draft Team Louisville (So)

Offense

• Combo guard ability.

• Does bits of everything.

• Hugely improved shooter - 39% on 5 3PA per 40 & 70% FT

• C&S upside, positioning and footwork are improving.

• Not an off-dribble or mid-range shooter, at least yet.

• Don't see shot creation skills as the separation isn't there.

• A playmaker who can facilitate in a multitude of ways. Does a good job of finding and making cross court passes to shooters.

• Head stays up and he uses both hands to pass.

• High turnover rates. Has some bad habits picking up dribbles and throwing careless passes.

Defense

• Wingspan is a huge plus on closeouts and shot contests.

• A major work in progress defensively, but with effort, more foot work and awareness he could become serviceable here.

• Length allows him to be an above average rebounder.

Swing Factors

• Shooting Consistency - Has made great strides in this area, now lets see it at the next level and off-dribble.

• AST/TO ratio - A skilled passer, but needs to clean up his habits as a passer.

• Defensive Footwork - Graded poorly on Synergy as a P&R ball-handler defender. Will he be able to maximize his length and be a competent on ball defender against guards.

Role

• A combo-guard who initiates for others and floor spaces in C&S.

• LOW: Johnson has no outstanding skills and is sort of lost in the shuffle near the end of a bench.

• HIGH: Johnson uses his outstanding length to closeout and become a positive team defender and rebounder. Offensively he knocks down his shots and begins facilitating at a higher level than anticipated. Johnson eventually claims a role at the front of a bench.

Positives

-Impressive playmaker, very good at pushing in transition and making the right pass, reads plays very well in PnR, great skip passes, plays very patiently

-Plays passing lanes well off-ball, makes the right rotations, potential to be good on-ball, uses his great length (6'10-6'11 wingspan) and is strong enough to cut off drives mostly

-Hits catch and shoot jumpers at a very high rate, very improved from his freshman year, has legit NBA range on spot-ups

Negatives

-Not a great athlete, can't blow by his guy, plays slow in the PnR because he has no choice, struggles a bit moving laterally, not sure if he can guard point guards in the NBA

-Struggles badly shooting off the dribble, from 3 or from the mid range, teams will go under the screen and not sure if he can make them pay yet

-Has some problems with turnovers, struggles creating separation and can turn it over once stranded, turnover rate a bit too high for a lead guard

Likely range: 30-50