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Stanley Johnson Shows Glimpse of the Future

By Aaron Ferguson

Nov 6, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) reacts following the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Stanley Johnson (3) reacts following the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Stanley Johnson had a career game on Monday night and showed a glimpse of what he can bring to the Pistons in the future.

Stanley Johnson shined in the Detroit Pistons (9-9) 116-105 win over the Houston Rockets (7-11) on Monday night.  Johnson showed a glimpse of what he is going to bring in the future of his NBA career.

Johnson scored 19 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds to record his first career NBA double-double.  He played 29 minutes and had a plus-11 plus-minus rating off the bench.  Most importantly, Johnson showed that he can play well with the starters and create open shots.

Johnson had his best shooting performance of his young NBA career.  He was 4-for-5 (80.0-percent) from three-point range, his best this season.  He went 3-for-4 (75.0-percent) from the free throw line, his best performance at the charity stripe.  When Johnson had the ball in his hands, it seemed as if he wasn’t going to miss.

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Johnson, 19, previously had his best game against the Golden State Warriors when he had 20 points and seven rebounds.  However, he did not have the same success from three-point range or at the free-throw line.  Johnson’s game score against the Warriors was a 15.5.  In Monday night’s win over the Rockets his game score was a 17.2.

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With Johnson recording his first career double-double, he proved that he is ready in two of the three stages of the game.  Johnson proved that he can rebound amongst some of the best rebounders in the NBA.  He also showed that he can score by knocking down three’s and getting to the rim with his athleticism.

Johnson has a good frame.  He is 6-foot-7 and weighs in at 245 pounds.  He has used his athletic frame by being able to get to the rim and run in transition.

He isn’t ready to start against some of the league’s best players yet.  Johnson proved that on Monday night when he recorded five fouls and couldn’t guard the more athletic wing players that the Rockets have.  This is the fourth time that Johnson has committed five fouls in a game this season.  He also did so against the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat.

Dating back to his only year of college basketball, Johnson committed five fouls twice, but also played nine games where he committed four fouls.  Of course five fouls would disqualify a college player from competition for the rest of that game, whereas six fouls disqualify a NBA player from a game.

This is one example of a lot of parallels in Johnson’s game from the college ranks to the NBA level.

SeasonSchoolGMPFGFGAFG%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%TRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
2014-15Arizona3828.44.610.3.4461.13.1.3713.54.7.7426.51.71.50.42.22.613.8

Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table
Generated 12/1/2015.

SeasonTmGMPFGFGAFG%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%ORBDRBTRBASTSTLBLKTOVPFPTS
2015-16DET1821.23.38.6.3870.82.7.3061.11.5.7041.12.94.01.20.70.21.42.68.6

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/1/2015.

Johnson’s college career at Arizona was highlighted by his scoring and rebounding abilities.  He also averaged 1.5 steals per game in college, but his 2.6 fouls per game suggest that he wasn’t as good of a defender.

While at the NBA level, Johnson’s game has not evolved yet.  He is shooting a lower percentage everywhere on the court, including the free-throw line.  Johnson is also playing in a reserve role as the seventh or eighth man.  His scoring and rebounding numbers are down, but are similar to the amount of production he brought at the college level given the difference in playing time.

Johnson is going to develop into a good offensive player and a tenacious rebounder on the wing.  Monday night’s game is evidence of that, but he needs to improve on the defensive end and learn how to do a better job of creating good shots.  He has shown that he can be a good three-point shooter and great in transition.

However, Johnson needs to develop a mid-range jump shot to make him a more complete scoring threat.

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It is unfair to judge Johnson’s NBA career to this point and determine what type of player he will be.  He is only 19 years old and his body is still maturing.  However, through this point in the season, there is enough evidence to suggest that he has not completely grasped the NBA game quite yet.

What Johnson showed fans on Monday night is that there is a bright future ahead for his NBA career.

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