That makes their No. 9 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft all the more interesting.
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With Zeller and Noah Vonleh being drafted in back-to-back seasons, it’s unlikely the Hornets turn to a big man for the third year in a row. Instead, with questions surrounding their back court, they’ll shift their focus towards adding a perimeter player who can space the floor.
The two players who come to mind are Devin Booker, renowned as the best shooter in the draft, and Stanley Johnson, a do-it-all forward who moonlights as a marksman. But if he’s available, Johnson would be an ideal fit in the Queen City.
Johnson is a shooting threat the Hornets desperately need
Despite being built around a back-to-the-basket center in Al Jefferson, the Hornets ranked last in 3-point shooting (31.8 percent) last season. Not being able to space the floor consistently for Jefferson turned out to be their Achilles heel, as it allowed teams to double down in the paint and force the likes of Gerald Henderson, Kidd-Gilchrist, Walker and Stephenson out of their comfort zones.
The Hornets attempted to remedy their problem by drafting P.J. Hairston, signing Marvin Williams and trading for Mo Williams and Troy Daniels. Even with those acquisitions, though, they are in dire need of additional firepower on the wings.
While Johnson isn’t the purest of shooters in this class, he knocked down 3-pointers at a high rate at Arizona. He connected on 37.1 percent of his 116 attempts from the perimeter and averaged 1.3 points per spot-up possession, according to DraftExpress. He’s capable of curling off of screens and camping out on the weak side for a skip pass, made all the more deadly by his ability to effectively attack closeouts.
There are some concerns over Johnson’s mechanics, but he has a solid foundation in place to make easy fixes. He isn’t a volume shooter from the perimeter, either, having attempted 3.1 3-pointers per game and rarely overstepping the mark.
However, Johnson shoots well enough to draw his defender out to the perimeter and doesn’t need the ball in his hands to make a difference on the floor. He led the Wildcats with 13.8 points per game, but his usage rating was only a shade higher than Justise Winslow’s, who was the third option at Duke.
Johnson is a tenacious defender
Since Steve Clifford took over as head coach of the Hornets, they’ve transformed themselves into a rugged defensive unit. Kidd-Gilchrist is already one of the league’s best perimeter defenders at 21-years-old, and Bismack Biyombo and Zeller compliment him perfectly in the front court by being versatile bigs capable of protecting the rim and grabbing rebounds.
The combination saw the Hornets rank amongst the NBA’s best defensive teams for the second year in a row.
Johnson’s potential on the defensive end is his biggest asset coming out of Arizona. At 6-7 and 242 pounds, he’s a physical specimen and has all the tools to be the best two-way player in the draft. He’s a handful to beat off the dribble, cuts off lanes to the basket well with his quick first step and uses his length perfectly to contest shots.
That length helps Johnson blow up passing lanes, too. He recorded 1.5 thefts per contest, parlaying that into a steal rate of 3.17 — fifth highest in the Pac-12. He’s not afraid to challenge players at the rim, and has the foot speed and length (6-11 wingspan) to stick with three positions, even if it means fighting through screens and chasing shooters out on the perimeter.
Johnson’s attention wavers at times on the defensive end, but pairing him with Walker and Kidd-Gilchrist would make for a ball hawking trio that few teams in the NBA could match
Johnson has plenty of room to grow
While the Hornets need a prospect who can consistently space the floor — not necessarily the 19-year-old’s forte at this stage of his career — Johnson brings some much-needed versatility on offense. He’d likely be molded into a shooter’s role initially, but Johnson proved capable of attacking the basket and finishing with an array of moves.
The biggest knock on Johnson is his finishing ability in the paint. Despite being one of the most athletic players in the draft, he’s not an explosive leaper unless he has a full head of steam and struggles to finish over length. He converted only 40 percent of his non-fast break shot attempts in the paint, according to DraftExpress, and saw that number drop even further during the NCAA Tournament.
Johnson will benefit from playing in the NBA’s spacious offense and has the potential to improve in that department. He changes speeds well and has a muscular frame that can withstand physical defense. He’s also a handful in transition and showed signs of a post-up game that would fair him well at the next level.
Given his size, Johnson will give teams the option of playing him at the four in small-ball lineups, where he’ll use his shooting ability and athleticism to take advantage of mismatches.
Johnson is the perfect fit
Johnson entered the season with sky-high expectations, ranked as the third best recruit in the 2014 class behind Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay. While he might not have lived up to all of the hype, he is one of the youngest players in the draft (as he turned 19 on May 29) and has everything a team looks for in a young prospect.
After achieving success at every level, Johnson thinks he’s better than the likes of Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell. That might not be the case, but his confidence spills over onto the court where he plays with a high motor and an abundance of energy.
For a team like the Hornets, they don’t need Johnson to be the star he was once destined to be, anyway. With the No. 9 pick, they’re looking for someone who can fill in the gaps and develop into a complimentary player for their existing core.
In Johnson, that’s exactly what they’d have.
