Society Scouting Report: Stanley Johnson

Stanley Johnson is a tough defensive minded player. Love the intensity he brings to the court every day. Confidence is another thing he isn’t lacking. He reportedly came out and called himself “the best player in the draft”. Hopefully that confidence doesn’t get into his head too much though as he has to be ready to come in and work his way into the rotation. The NBA is nothing like college or high school.

For every rookie with exceptional talents, there are weaknesses that have to be addressed. Is he a shooting guard or small forward? His size is a huge factor as he might not be big enough to defend some of the bigger small forwards. He shares this similar problem with Justise Winslow. Another weakness is his inability to shoot the ball at a high percentage. He will need to practice the catch-and-shoot jump shot over and over again. He is not going to be putting up 20 points a night, so he will need to be ready to shoot the ball off the screen once the more developed offensive teammates draw the attention of the defense.

Stanley Johnson has a lot of Ron Artest in him. Great defense, capable shooter, but won’t shock you with the statistics. That’s not what defines these kinds of players. Ron Artest, like Johnson, had incredible confidence when coming into the league, but that hurt him as he kept that insane confidence. We all know about the Malice at the Palace and some of his altercations with Stoudemire, Harden, and others. As I’ve said before, we have to hope Stanley Johnson comes into the league and learns under a veteran’s wing so he doesn’t have this all go to his head. Stanley can be in this league for a very long time with the intangibles that he possesses, but like any other rookie he will have to put in the work and continue to play with that some ferocity every night.

Future Professional Potential: Consistent Starter