Utah Jazz: Stanley Johnson Would Be A Great Fit

There are some players who played in college basketball last season that came in with hype behind their name and game that matches the hype.

Arizona’s Stanley Johnson is one of those players.

Before Johnson became one of the most desired prospects in the 2015 NBA Draft, he was destroying kids left and right that played against him in California. Johnson led his high school Mater Dei Academy to an insane 135-5 record and four state championships.

Johnson was also the only player in the state to ever win four straight state titles. It was a no-brainer that after Johnson was named to the all-state team four times that he became a McDonald’s All-American in 2014.

After leaving high school, his fame spread to most NBA circles and the biggest stars were starting to take notice. Johnson participated in workouts with Kobe Bryant last August and claimed that they were the hardest workouts of his life.

He even gave a former scoring champion in Tracy McGrady the work during the Adidas Nation event.

In that clip above there’s even a cameo made by Frank Kaminsky. Since the Utah Jazz have a plethora of directions that they could move in, last week we talked about how Kaminsky should be on their radar. With the No. 12 pick Kaminsky will all but certainly be available to get selected.

This week we’re declaring that if the Jazz have the opportunity to draft Johnson, a legitimate top-10 prospect, they can’t afford to pass on him.

On the surface Johnson is actually the player the Jazz should take a hard look at drafting (if he manages to slip to No. 12). Coming into the 2015 NBA Draft, Johnson already is one of the top physical specimens and he’s built to play in the league. At 18 years old, Johnson’s already cut out of the same cloth that made LeBron James an unheralded rookie.

When Reggie Miller saw Johnson play live during the 2015 NCAA Tournament, he referred to the freshman as the reincarnation of LeBron James and said this:

"“Manchild. I’m sorry, I mean, we may be seeing the reincarnation of LeBron James. I mean, LeBron James had this type of body at his age. I mean, he just goes baseline, there’s no help… and obviously the finish and the elevation and the athleticism here by Stanley Johnson.”"

Johnson stands at 6’6.5″, 241 pounds with seven percent body fat and he’s agile as a fox.

Who Does He Play Like?

Even though Miller’s correct in his statement about James’ body size in comparison to Johnson’s, the person that his game compares with the most is actually Ron Artest.

Artest’s measurements are favorable to Johnson’s as he stood at 6’7″, 260 pounds.

Like Artest, Johnson’s also talented enough offensively to play multiple positions on the floor. In some cases, he’ll even be asked to play the stretch four position because of his size, which he could have a chance at thriving at.

Throughout his career, Artest became an offensive threat and he averaged at least 15 points per game or more in nine different seasons. Unlike Artest, Johnson’s still raw offensively and he still managed to average nearly 14 points per game as a freshman, leading his team to the Elite Eight.

When Johnson can improve on all aspects of his shooting (free throw, three-point, midrange) he’ll become a legit 20-point scorer at the next level. All it’s going to take is for Johnson to learn how to finish better at the rim, as well as working on that jump shot.

But Johnson’s true test isn’t going to come on offense. To truly measure his greatness as a player he’ll have to become a lockdown defender. His ticket to greatness is going to come through competing against the great perimeter players in the league, including James Harden, Klay Thompson, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and even LeBron James.

Johnson might have been disinterested at times in college since he was playing against inferior competition, but in the NBA there are no scrubs and there are no off days against great players.

Challenges will occur for Johnson on a nightly basis and he’s physically gifted enough to accept them and put up a great fight.

Like Artest, it’s because of that size that Johnson will become a hot commodity on any team. His physical gifts leave him in a great position of versatility. Johnson’s more than athletic enough to defend four positions on the floor (all but center).

It’s crazy to think that an 18-year-old Johnson could start from day one on most NBA teams and would help a team significantly upgrade their defense. Thankfully it’s the truth.

During the NBA Draft Combine Johnson said:

"“I’m the best player in the draft….I’m going to play smart and I’m a nasty competitor. I don’t think there are many guys out there who want to win and compete as much as I do. I’ll definitely bring that to any locker room.”"

For the Jazz, this would help their team in a number of ways because they could finally have a solid bench by bringing in Johnson. Alec Burks could come off the pine and become the Sixth Man of the Year that he’s destined to become. Johnson, on the other hand, could start at the two guard and still guard the opponent’s best player.

There would be a huge advantage having Gordon Hayward guarding the opponent’s second best perimeter player and Dante Exum guarding the third best. The size between these three athletes would become a nightmare for opponents to game plan against.

Johnson also learning from Quin Snyder and growing in a young organization where they’re hungry to win is a bit of a scary thought.

Why not draft the best player in the draft if available? This could be a prospect to help the Jazz continue to become contenders in the next 5-10 years.

If the Jazz don’t get him, I want to see Johnson at least play for the Miami Heat (that’s the South Florida born resident in me speaking).

Next: Utah Jazz: Why You Should Get Ready For Frank Kaminsky

More from Hoops Habit

• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers