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Oklahoma City Thunder: Dakari Johnson Reaction And Grade

By Joe Atmonavage

Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson (44) is guarded by Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Zach Auguste (30) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson (44) is guarded by Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Zach Auguste (30) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson (44) is guarded by Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Zach Auguste (30) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson (44) is guarded by Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Zach Auguste (30) during the first half in the finals of the midwest regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /

With the 48th overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected center Dakari Johnson of Kentucky.

Johnson is nearly seven feet tall and only played 16.4 minutes per game last season because…well, Kentucky. In those minutes, he averaged 6.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field. Johnson was the sixth Kentucky player to be selected in this year’s draft by the time the Thunder drafted him at No. 48.

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With guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, Trey Lyles and Willie Cauley-Stein, it is obvious why Johnson did not put up monster numbers at Kentucky. There simply were not enough touches or minutes on the block to go around.

However, he will be joining another log-jammed front court. The Thunder are set on re-signing Enes Kanter while also returning Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison, Steven Adams and Mitch McGary. The frontcourt is crowded. It will be a challenge for Johnson to fit in, but I think he is talented enough.

His size is impressive. He has a 7’2″ wingspan and a 9’5″ standing reach and he rebounds the hell out of the offensive glass. Per-40 minutes, he averaged 4.3 offensive rebounds last year and 5.8 as a freshman, per DraftExpress.

The likely scenario for Johnson is he is a D-League player — learning how to play at his size while the Thunder dwindle down their frontcourt. I think Johnson could be a guy that earns a roster spot. He was a top-10 recruit coming out of high school and while going to Kentucky gets you drafted, I don’t think head coach John Calipari or his system highlight his players’ skills. Johnson is talented and a fantastic choice in the second half of the second round.

Grade: A-

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