<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M4X5jFMOrzA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M4X5jFMOrzA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> Player scouting: Draftexpress NBAdraft.net
I'm really high on this guy. His on-court movement is fluid and he has a mature personality. Extremely quick (tied for 2nd in the sprints with John Wall [!! as a forward]). He had a 37-inch vertical, ran a blazing 3.1-second three-quarter-court sprint and benched the bar a whopping 16 times. He started playing relatively late (8th grade) and has a positive, learning attitude. I hope we trade up to snatch him around 5. I always view the draft as a source of talent, and I think drafting-for-talent and trading pieces to support that talent is the key to long-term success. "Analysis: The Wolves are exploring possibilities of moving up in the draft. Evan Turner is their target and they have the assets to make a deal with either Philly or New Jersey. If they keep the pick, Johnson seems like a terrific fit. He's long and athletic, rebounds from the 3 spot and can hit an open jumper. Some believe he's the next Shawn Marion." Draft position: #4 on NBADraft.net #6 on Draftexpress #4 on Chad Ford's Mock Draft 3.0
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/draft/tracker/player/_/playerId/19444/wesley-johnson ESPN Insider Player Profile Draft Projection: Top 5 Similarities: Joe Johnson Notes: Johnson declared for the 2010 NBA Draft on April 12. Transferred from Iowa State. Positives: Long, athletic swingman Explosive leaper Aggressive scorer Deep range on jumper Terrific rebounder Versatile, can play and guard multiple positions Negatives: Needs to add strength Already 22 years old A little one-dimensional Questions about why he's bounced around so much Summary: May 6 Update: In Chad Ford's first mock draft, Johnson goes No. 5 to Washington. The Wizards aren't desperate for a small forward, but they are desperate for some star power after gutting the roster this winter. Johnson's versatility and upside would be too much to pass up here. April 12 Update: Johnson was the breakout player of the year this season. After sitting out last season because of transfer rules, he exploded out of the gate and never really slowed down. Johnson is a versatile swing man who can run the floor, shoot the J and play defense. He's one of the few players to average nearly two steals and two blocks per game. He should be a Top 5 pick. -- Mar 22 Update: Johnson battled injuries in January and February, but he's back to full health now. He just destroyed Gonzaga with 31 points and 14 rebounds in what may have been his best game of the year. If Johnson does this the whole tournament, he'll make a very strong run at the No. 3 pick in the draft. Mar 17 Update: The Good: Johnson is a superathletic swingman who can score from anywhere. He is shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc and is averaging 8.4 boards, 1.7 steals and 1.9 blocks per game. Not many players in the NBA average nearly two steals and two blocks a game, which speaks to Johnson's unusual athletic abilities. The Bad: Injuries have slowed him lately. He lacks a killer instinct and can be too unselfish at times. He looks as though he might be more comfortable as the No. 2 guy on a team. The Upside: Johnson began the season out of the top 30 but quickly rose into the top 10 with his stellar play for Syracuse. Right now, he looks like a lock for a pick somewhere between No. 5 and No. 8 on draft night. Mar 2 Update: Johnson has been struggling of late, but scouts aren't too concerned. Two injuries suffered in games in February (a bruised hip and a bruised hand) have cooled him down considerably. Johnson recently told the New York Times that his shooting hand still swells and it makes it difficult for him to catch the ball. Once he gets healthy again, I'd expect him to return to form. Right now, Johnson looks like a lock for the top 10. Jan 5 Update: Johnson had some preseason buzz, but the truth was that NBA scouts and GMs didn't know exactly what to expect after he transferred from Iowa State to Syracuse and sat out last season because of transfer rules. Fourteen games later, Johnson is making a strong case that he's one of the top five prospects in the country. Johnson is doing a bit of everything. He can score from anywhere, is shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, is averaging nearly 9 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals a game. He's been as consistent as any of the top prospects in the draft. While scouts would like to see him get stronger and be more assertive, every GM we spoke to has him ranked in the top five. That's pretty amazing for a guy who came into the season not ranked in the top 25 on any team's board. Dec 8 Update: Scouts are continuing to gush about the stellar play of Johnson. He has every physical attribute scouts look for in a wing and he's playing with amazing confidence. He's shooting 53 percent from deep and averaging 7.3 rpg. But here's the stat that has scouts drooling: Johnson is one of those rare players who is capable of averaging more than two blocks and two steals per game. Other college players can do it (see Duquesne's Damian Saunders), but few have the potential to do it at the next level as well. The Hawks' Josh Smith is the only player in the league right now that even comes close (2.6 bpg and 1.5 spg). So you can imagine the interest. I predict he's going to rank off the charts on John Hollinger's draft rater. Nov 24 Update: Don't say we didn't warn you. On Friday, we wrote that Syracuse's Wesley Johnson was one of the players with the most volatile stock this season. If he starts living up to his potential, he could be a top-10 pick in this year's draft, we said. That was before he blew up at Madison Square Garden against North Carolina on Friday night. Johnson was the best player on the floor in a highly anticipated matchup. He did a little of everything. Over the past two games (against UNC and Cal) he hit 3s, ran the floor, rebounded and blocked shots. He was everywhere. Earlier last week, we had Johnson as the 18th best prospect on our Big Board. But after two huge games in front of a big contingent of NBA scouts and GMs, the overwhelming consensus was that it was time to move Johnson into the top 10. He doesn't always play with that energy, nor does he always shoot as well as he did last week. But if Johnson can keep it up, he has a good chance of hearing his name called in the first five picks. Nov 20 Update: Johnson got off to a terrific start at Iowa State three years ago and scouts were buzzing about his draft potential. But a disastrous sophomore season combined with a transfer to Syracuse has put everything on hold. Johnson is a terrific talent. He's long, athletic and super smooth, which reminds scouts a little of Joe Johnson. However, unlike Joe Johnson, he's not a dead-eye shooter from distance and he's still working on his ballhandling skills. His game was more reminiscent of Shawn Marion's than Joe Johnson's as a freshman, as he was often asked to play the 4 and proved to be a terrific rebounder. This season he's trying to make the transition to the wing. The early reviews from scouts who have been hanging out at Syracuse's practices have been overwhelmingly positive. A few scouts claim he'll be a top-10 pick by the end of the year. Others are much more skeptical until they see him consistently excel on the wing. August 1 Update: Johnson should be one of the top transfer players in college basketball. If he can add some strength and diversify his offensive game, he might be a lottery pick.
