I don't see any comparisons to Courtney Lee in Nick Johnson's game at all. Are you smoking Kush while saying this or something?
This... TJ was a beast in SL that year as well. But yea, I'm not expecting any of these guys to be on the bench when the season starts. The Rockets are serious about their farm system. I'm waiting to see the 2nd year guys play because one or two of them may be the next man up.
I think there are literal comparisons, as to how they move and look and then there are comparisons of how they can contribute and impact the game. He's very much like Lee in the latter. A true two way player, with athleticism, that can play two spots. I think Johnson has a different approach though, not as laid back as Lee.
If Johnson's shot is as solid as Lee's, he's getting drafted a few spots higher. With that, I definitely think his shot will improve. Let him spend some time with the Vipers.
And he's 2 inches shorter. There is a reason he wasn't drafted higher. Thing is NBA teams seem dead set on swinging for the fences in the 1st round, instead of just looking for good players. Johnson has very little star potential IMO, but I am extremely confident he will be a very good player from the start. Shooting/effort/athleticism, you give me those 3 and I'm happy
Nick is a rookie solid guard, his game has touches of several old school guys. Yes, some of his uncle Dennis Johnson--Nick is virtually everywhere blocking shots, making steals, grabbing rebounds, etc. Very scrappy, but has the elite athleticism that makes that combo lethal. I imagine if he was two inches taller he would have been a lottery pick. Seems to high BBall IQ, good (not great) outside shooter--really cocks left elbow out. Pretty good handles and good court vision--made several outstanding passes in this game. Good team player, played within the offense and didn't try to do too much this last game. He seemed to improve from the SL first game. He has some Francis like hops, but just seems to play smoother. I remember having high hopes for Canaan last year and it took him some time to get a feel for the NBA and he still is a bit tentative. Nick doesn't seem to have that problem--seems to have some of that Cool-Hand Luke running through his veins. I think at this point, he's potentially a better back-up to Bev than Canaan this year, but that will be for training camp and preseason to flesh out. If he keeps developing his PG skills, I think he could be our starting PG in 2 years.
Really looking forward to Nick getting some minutes this season behind Bev. He's been a highlight reel so far.
Nice of you to bring up TJ. He was a beast last season too... And it is too early to say what Lamb will be because he has still shown potential.
http://www.cduniverse.com/ http://www.hbdirect.com/international-music-cds.php So after re-watching the video as well as other clips of him, I am even more impressed. Some additional observations and predictions so I can come back later and either eat crow or crow "I told you so!" 1. That 2nd pass really shouldn't have counted as an assist. In the NBA, that tip would have easily been a steal and fast break towards the other end. 2. This kid has ROCKETS in his feet. The way he rises up for dunks and rebounds is amazing. His accleration also comes in an almost instantaneous burst. This should make him a great PnR combo with Dwight provided he wants to play and can you imagine a PnR play in the play where instead of dribbling, he just leaps for a jam? 3. He shows a very good nose for where the ball is at all time. Assuming he keeps up with the NBA pace, this means a lot of steals for fast breaks and offensive rebounds ala vintage Chandler Bang. 4. His court vision is surprising, as seen by that beautiful outlet pass and the swing around kick out to whoever that was on the perimeter. That said, there were a few passes such as the one to a slashing player that seemed slow and bit behind. This might be a problem in the much faster and skilled NBA. 5. He excels at transition offense. Guess who else excels at transition offense? The Rockets! He will fit right in when we are running with our run and gun style. I have a feeling when we go small, him a PBev will make a great midget combo. 6. This kid has a pretty high BBIQ though I can't really say that without seeing full game footage of him. He seems to ride with the flow of the game and really challenges it, like that poster jam and some of his blocks and rebounds. 7. Kid has a nice pull up jumpshot and good range. I would like to see him use his athleticism more and incorporate a long fadeaway to his game as well. Could you imagine trying to defend a fadeaway that fades back that far and quick? From what I have seen from him so far suggests that he will turn out to be a rich man's Courtney Lee as long as his game is able to translate to the NBA pace. His handles are nothing special, but his acceleration compensates somewhat for it and would really benefit in PnR situations. He is aggressive, which I really like, and very heady.
Oops sorry about the links guys, I was writing this in a sticky and forgot to edit out those links when copy and pasting into a post. Can a mod edit that for me?
Remember how deep this draft was...a lot of solid players went in the second round. Any other year and he's probably 28-32 instead of 42.
You would think someone that athletic and physical with a jumper and high bbiq wouldn't last that long in the draft. Testament to the depth of the draft or people aren't doing their homework or maybe a little of both. I see the Cuttino and Lee comparisons a little bit but this guy is more athletic and more physical. Cuttino had that great first step to slither to the basket and he really improved his game over the years.
Watching this again I tend to agree now, that Johnson probably has a higher ceiling sticking to point guard/backup combo guard. He will be a very serviceable defender and should help shut down those tiny guys who always kill us like Jason Terry, Mo Williams, Darren Collison etc.
I hope this guy magically grows 5-6 inches somehow. He looks good, probably would have been at the top of the draft if it wasn't for his height.
Always tough to tell after SL. The good thing is he definetly looks like he is feeling very comfortable out there. In the highlight clips it looks like he is a step faster than the rest, thinks faster and overall just gets it. I agree that he probably has no real star potential. But he has the potential to be a very solid rotational player, maybe a starter. The nice thing: after this horrible start to the offseason he is the main reason to get excited so far.
