On defense alone Nick is a better player. Nick is already an NBA level defender. If people base their opinion on Nick's defense, I have my doubts but I'm hopeful and he seems to have athleticism that gives him good potential. He has a nice shot too but that's against guys that will flip burgers in 3-2-1 Royce White time.
So... why wasn't Nick Johnson picked earlier? Didn't follow the whole draft process or Pac 12 hoops this year, but with all the praises that he's getting (from the Rockets' people as well as NBATV commentators doing the summer league games-- Isiah Thomas and Grant Hill), he seems to be good enough to warrant a higher spot.
At this point it sure seems to me like Nick is going to be a good backup combo guard. I like his defense and his offense.
One can't be an NBA level defender having never played in the NBA. That being said, I think Johnson has more potential than Canaan so suit him up.
If he's anything like his uncle the late great Dennis Johnson his defense will be great and his shot will be clutch
Okay, now imagine Canaan guarding ANYONE, whether D League or a real NBA team, and that's exactly what happens. Nick ran into a better player in Payton, but held his own or better against many others. Canaan is a better scorer but he is inferior to Nick in everything else: defense, passing, athleticism, finishing, rebounding, shot blocking, steals, position flex, attitude/hustle
Because Aaron Gordon was picked at 4, and we can't have too many Wildcats picked in the 1st round. Go Cats!
No one is saying Nick Johnson will be better than Payton. All we are saying is that he has potential to be a solid role player. Parsons and Kawaii are good examples. One was found in the 2nd round and one was a lottery pick. I'd take Leonard any day over parsons, he is hands down the better player. But that does not make parsons a scrub. Just because Payton outplayed Nick in a summer league game does not mean Nick is destined for the D League
We'll have to see what happens at training camp, but Nick is clearly a better defender than Canaan. If someone can challenge that statement then please do. I've seen more steals/deflections/blocks and better position defense from Nick then any other player on our SL teams. Playmaking: I haven't been checking stats, but he's a selfless player who moves the ball and has had some very nice assists this summer. Alibi at the SL level, but his court vision has been better than what I've seen from Bev, Lin or Canaan. He's also a pretty damn good ball handler and he doesn't turn the ball over as much as I would have expected him to at this stage. Rebounding: Wow, never seen a 6-2+ PG under the basket on FTAs! Dude has mad hops and goes after rebounds like Bev. Scoring: Not a bad finisher, saw him miss an easy lay-up (it happens), but have also seem him do some nasty dunks. Has a little Stevie in him. His little running one-handed shot looks like money. Outside shooting: Inconsistent. He didn't look too bad in Orlando, but he's been clanging some 3s in Vegas. Definitely needs to spend some time shooting the NBA 3 and getting comfortable. I'll caveat this by saying I didn't see him play Payton. Sounds like that wasn't a good game, but sometimes it happens (Matthews on Harden). Plus Payton was a lotto pick and Nick was #42. Canaan has a solid build and seems to be capable of being a good 3-pt shooter and scorer. I just don't see him as a playmaker and believe he'll be a defensive liability.
yes they can! You can be NBA level without playing NBA level talent. Its a judgment call but in Nicks case the defense is easy to see. There is no doubt that Lebron was NBA level talent on both ends when he was in High School.
lack of size and he doesn't really have much potential to improve, and teams love potential. He's probably going to be a "needs time to adjust to the game" and from there be a solid backup.
Simply put.... draft measurements, staying in college for 3 years, & not knowing what position he plays. He's viewed as a SG who has PG size. However what we've seen in SL kind of makes one think that in a NBA system like the Rockets run, it really shouldn't matter. Alot of teams run 2 PG lineups & have 2's and 3's that do the majority of the play-making. What's going to be interesting is to see how Nick Johnson plays when he's on the court with better players. Also looking to see if his shot continues to look improved from where it was in college, and his ability to get in the paint and his alot of those floaters that are important for smaller guards. Will he be able to do anything in traffic at the NBA level? That's a big question mark for him. I personally think the Rockets picked up a guard that can come in and immediately contribute. He might even challenge Bev. & Canaan for the starting PG spot if he proves all of these concerns to be false. However we are just going to have to wait and see if those concerns are alleviated or if they will be proven legitimate come this October. SL isn't really going to answer any of those questions.
And there's a difference between playing against guys with NBA talent and playing against guys who will be flipping burgers (as you say). So yes you contradicted yourself. I think Nick is great. But SL just pretty much verifies you don't have a scrub. TJ and Lamb beasted in summer league play when they were drafted _ but that didn't mean they were NBA ready. And like I said earlier _ go watch the game against Orlando because that's the type of talent Nick will face in the NBA. And in that game he got abused.
This draft is loaded. Similar questions can be asked for Jokic, who's rated by Pelton as top5 talent but was picked one spot earlier than Nick.
