With the 25th Pick, the Clippers Select Brice Johnson

[Ranma]

I've expressed at length my concern and disappointment with Doc's asset management and draft board prioritization in the draft thread, so I intend to finish up my initial impressions of our new draftees by discussing my initial thoughts on Brice Johnson. As I've said before, I actually like Brice Johnson, which should be fairly clear given my identification of him as a candidate for our 1st draft pick early on during our previous board discussions about the draft. I just would have preferred that we had taken him with our 2nd-rounder at 33rd overall given the most recent projections. To be fair, there was a decent chance that Brice would have been taken in the late 1st round, especially given the amount of off-the-board selections during the draft proceedings...but I digress.

The appeal of Johnson is his production, motor, and athleticism. He's a good rebounder and finisher around the rim as well as having a post game to go along with a solid mid-range shot. However, he lacks the bulk to play power forward in the NBA, which is his current listed position. At 6' 10.5" with a 7' 0.5" wingspan, he certainly has the length to be a contributor on both offense and defense. Another shortcoming is that he is lacking in work ethic with inconsistent drive. Even his college coach, Roy Williams, stated in the SI video referenced in the tweet I posted on the previous page that it's not natural for him to work hard given his makeup.

However, that is not to say that he is a bad kid. On the contrary, he seems to have good intentions on the surface. The thing is he seems to be used to being prodded by the stick instead of the carrot as the son of a high school basketball coach. Roy Williams goes on to say that he is so hard on him because he knows he's capable of performing at a really high level, which is evident by the accolades he's received during his time at UNC. This seems to be in Doc's wheelhouse if he can apply the same approach he's done with Austin Rivers by constantly being on Brice's case, which obviously differs from his approach with DeAndre Jordan in blowing smoke up his butt.

He's been compared to Taj Gibson a lot and og15 sees some Shawn Marion in his shot and Brandan Wright in his frame but shorter. Michael Wilbon compares him to Rasheed Wallace. I favor the Gibson comparison a little but I think he also has elements that remind me of Antawn Jamison, Jeff Green, and Wesley Johnson. While he is not as slippery a post scorer as Jamison, Johnson does seem to show a good feel for post scoring with some polished footwork and body control. Brice's athleticism and length can provide us with the finishing ability Wesley should have in not being shy of contact, especially if we can get Brice to run the floor and get after boards consistently. His length and versatility can also provide what Green used to be able to do at his peak. It's funny that opinions on Brice has been divided with some projecting him as a 2nd-rounder while others think highly of him as a late-1st-round steal. The one underrated aspect about him as a prospect is that I think there's still some upside left in him.

Aside from bulk and a consistent drivetrain, Brice Johnson hasn't exhibited a 3-point shot. However, Doc praises his smooth shot mechanics and thinks he can extend his range to beyond the arc. Brice himself says that he has that in his arsenal but was not able to put in on display given the demands of his college team's offensive scheme. All of this is encouraging because I see him more as a potential small forward with length right now than I do as a small-ball 4. I'm not sure he has the ball-handling to handle that position but he seems comfortable with the ball in his hands based on the few clips I've seen thus far.

I'll reiterate what I've said before that Brice Johnson has to play and contribute for the Clippers this upcoming season. No ifs, ands, or buts given the failure to launch of Doc's previous draft choices and the alternatives passed on with the 25th overall selection. The good news is that I think Brice is quite capable of doing so. His question marks seem to be addressable with Doc having to consistently motivate him through tough love.


Edit: I just saw the pre-draft workout video mkwest posted, which shows that Brice is indeed capable of handling the basketball.

[og15]

He's capable of handling in a gym by himself, the problem becomes in games and with traffic which can become a whole different situation for some players.

[Ranma]

He's capable of handling in a gym by himself, the problem becomes in games and with traffic which can become a whole different situation for some players.

That's true but at least he has the dexterity to handle the ball without embarrassing himself. The mental part should be easier to address with practice and experience. I doubt he's a mental midget like DJ is with his free throws...or at least I hope he's not. While he wasn't doing the same type of exercises during competitive situations, the game video clips I've seen also showed to me that he is comfortable with the ball in his hands at least in spurts. That doesn't mean that he'll be able to run the offense or anything, but he shows promise to be above average at his position.

[Forte IV]

I'm assuming he's wearing #10 since all of the Clippers ads with him have him in a #10 jersey

[Ranma]

John Bauman, UpsideMotor.com (1/28/16)

Johnson has a lot skills on offense that would work in the modern NBA. Yes, he can finish over both shoulders on the block and get points that way, but his skill set also fits the role that a big man in the modern NBA must play — a rim-diving, pick-setting machine.

Johnson has great hands and athleticism that allow him to catch tough passes and finish the paint. He can catch alley-oops and lobs and knows how to use the glass when around the basket. Johnson flirts with a jump shot, but he’s got a long way to go before defenses will consider him a true threat from midrange. For the most part, he stays away from that area and lives where he is strongest, in the paint.
...

Johnson is averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game as a senior. He protects the rim well and has proven the ability to jump off his man and dart in for a surprise block. Despite bulking up over the course of his four years in Chapel Hill, Johnson is still thin and can be taken advantage of on the block by stronger attackers. That could be a problem in the NBA — as his play stands now, I can’t imagine him holding up well against a low post bruiser.

Johnson doesn’t have a lot of side-to-side quickness on defense and it shows when opposing defenses run pick and rolls. UNC prefers an aggressive pick and roll scheme that features its bigs running out to hard hedge the opposing team’s guards. Sometimes Johnson is too slow getting out, or just goes through the motions. I’d like to see him in a more conservative pick and roll scheme that might better suit his strengths.
...

Again: When Johnson is on, he is just about unstoppable. But when he’s not on, he merely drifts on the court and doesn’t dominate the game like he should. This the the narrative on Johnson for now, but there is still time for him to change that — his performance during the Tar Heels’ NCAA tournament run will have a lot to do with his draft position, as scouts come to final conclusions on his motor and consistency.

One thing scouts will agree on is that Johnson can play. All the skill and production in the world is there, he just has to find a way to bring it every night and prove to scouts that this first round talent is worth a first round pick.

Brice Johnson Scouting Report: January 2016

[mkwest]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/hot937/status/748601884663963648[/tweet]

[mkwest]

Getting To Know: Brice Johnson

What’s been the most challenging adjustment for you so far from college to Summer League?

BJ: “Just learning the terminology – that’s probably the biggest thing. Their terminology is so different. At the end of the day, it’s the same as what I’ve been taught to do, it’s just they say it a different way. So, I’ve got to get adjusted the way they say it and not the way I’ve learned it the last four years.”

For Clippers fans who don’t know, what are some things you like to do when you’re not playing basketball?

BJ: “Anything a typical (22)-year-old would like to do, other than going out. I don’t do the going out thing. I like to go to the beach and stuff, shopping. I don’t get to do much, because basketball takes up a great deal of my time. But other than that, watch movies, play video games, watch TV…”

Do you prefer that kind of coaching style?

BJ: “I mean, I’ve had different types of coaching. That’s the way it worked with him. Whatever coaching Doc (Rivers) wants to do or the rest of the coaches want to do, it’ll work. I’m not going to take it to heart; I’m going to take it as coaching. My dad was my coach and that’s what he taught me. It’s not to hurt your feelings; it’s to help you.”

Rowan Kavner, Clippers.com

[Ranma]

In addition to coach Roy Williams, Johnson himself describes how soft he is mentally given his makeup as a person who does not work hard naturally lacking in self-motivation. As his 1st game of summer league and the quote below show, the kid is quick to give up whenever he faces adversity. The encouraging thing is that he has eventually adjusted to become productive but not without tough love from coaches.

Brice Johnson, Players' Tribune (6/20/16)

It was only my first day of practice.

I didn’t think it’d be that tough. I ran track and played basketball in high school. So my first practice at North Carolina was going to be just fine, right?

The practice started off easily enough, just learning Coach Williams’ system. Then we shifted to conditioning drills, and I realized just how wrong I was.

Even though I was a two-sport athlete, I never did much conditioning, aside from playing pickup with my friends every now and again. So, needless to say, I didn’t do very well in that first drill. In fact, it was the worst I’ve ever done at anything related to sports.

I called my dad that night and told him I didn’t think I could do it. I wanted to come home.

“You have to keep going,” he said. “You can’t give up, and you can’t come home. I didn’t raise a quitter.”

Tar Heel

[Don Tommy]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy-REyAgKRE[/youtube]

I think it's at the 45 second mark where Brice stands and watches as Winslow takes a 3. I don't care if it's summer league, not wanting to go full strength... you close on the hot shooter, the other team's best player. This was the first summer league game, you would think that this would have been the game he gave it his all.

Side note, in high school I was known as Tommy Tarheel (first basketball game I ever watched was UNC with Jordan making the game winning shot against Georgetown) so I have always pulled for any Tarheels, but this worries me, it was every bad thing said about him in one play. Low motor and not a small forward. (Also, I can't find the full game highlights and it's 3 a.m. so I don't care, maybe the rest of the game was better?)

*Edited because I am an idiot that didn't know how to post youtube videos

[mkwest]

Clippers first-round draft pick Brice Johnson has Roy Williams in his corner and a chance to contribute immediately

“That person is never going to show up again,” he said after. “That’s one of the worst games I’ve ever played in my life. I can’t play like that. I got to get rid of that person.”

Williams chuckled when asked about Johnson’s self-criticism.

“He does that all the time,” Williams said. “He wants to play the perfect game. For four years, I was on his case all the time about playing harder, about being more involved, more intensity. And he loves to play. He loves to be successful.”

It was a message Williams had to deliver to teams in the build-up to the draft, when worries about Johnson’s disposition started to gain traction.

“There were some really bad things being said a couple of days before the draft. I spoke to seven or eight different teams in the last 48 hours before the draft because it started going around that he had a bad attitude or bad character. That’s so wrong,” Williams said. “It’s 180 degrees from the truth. I’ve never gotten on anybody as hard as I did on Brice Johnson for four years, and he knew I was coaching him. I love him to death, love him like a son.”

“I needed to prove to myself that I could play in this league,” Johnson said Sunday, clearly with some confidence back in his system. “... I got myself adjusted today.”

Dan Woike, OC Register

[mkwest]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/AM570LASports/status/750442348446756865[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/750106283907293184[/tweet]

[mkwest]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bjohnson_23/status/751856488163921920[/tweet]

[Ranma]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/LucasJHann/status/752949195938476032[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/LucasJHann/status/752950150167867392[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/LucasJHann/status/752961102678401025[/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/RowanKavner/status/752952479617196032[/tweet]

[mkwest]

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It still doesn't seem real! But I know it is! #Blessed #4HerRSJ

[mkwest]

Introductory Press Conference (Video)

Rivers Feels Good About Picks, Who Focus On Adding Strength

“Getting stronger’s probably the biggest thing for me,” Johnson said, seconding Stone’s comments. “I’m very gifted offensively obviously, but I just have to be able to hold my own on the defensive end and not get pushed around. That’s probably the biggest thing that hurt me during Summer League.”

Johnson said he hopes to put on 20 to 25 pounds, eventually – a weight he feels he can still play comfortably at. He’s confident now, with the Clippers’ draft picks finally arriving in Los Angeles, the free time he has before training camp can be used to get in the weight room and get his body in the right shape.

“I’ll be able to pay for a lot more food that I can eat that is good for me and not go to McDonald’s or eat bad food all the time,” Johnson said. “It’s just a transition for me. Just being able to say I’m a professional athlete and have the resources to get myself to that weight and play with that weight will be a lot better.”

Rowan Kavner, Clippers.com

[mttwlsn16]

Why is Stone wearing 0? I heard Austin was changing his number to 0, which he wore at Duke.

[UKClipperfan]

That's gonna be awkward..... 'What do you mean its taken?'

[nickhx2]

heard austin changed his mind so should be no big deal

[mkwest]

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[mkwest]

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