ROUND 1: AJ Johnson - Poll Added

[DanoMac]

I get a kick out of posters talking themselves into the pick.

Yeah, stupid idiots getting excited about adding a new player to the team. So dumb.

Haha for real. Major Jordan Love draft vibes here.

[Profound23]

Also, anyone who didn't vote 'C' in the poll is kidding themselves.

Well, sure, but that's not really a snap judgement.

I don't feel like C should ever be included in polls like this. Of course it's the right answer, but it negates the reasoning of the poll.

[msiris]

Its not about the player. The future is now and not 3 years from now. We have a really crappy bench because we are so top heavy in terms salary and age. Now we have two 1st picks that wll hardly see the floor during the regular season. Que in the minimum vet guys.

[chonestown]

Byington: A-Jax, what's THAT perfume? It's nice.
AJax: Sandalwood
Byington: Oh, lovely.

*Cut to Bucks-Pistons, December 2024*
*Andre Jackson Jr passes the broadcast team area as he prepares to substitute in*
Byington: AJ Aromatic!

feel free to use no big deal

[buckboy]

I get a kick out of posters talking themselves into the pick.

Yeah, stupid idiots getting excited about adding a new player to the team. So dumb.

3 people liked that drivel.

Eye opening.

[emunney]

I too am amused by human emotion

[Vasquectomy]

Sparking hot take:
Maybe Old Man Tatum was hiding AJJ on his bench to give the Celtics a better chance of taking him.

#2: Wasn’t that Tatum’s trainer hanging out with Giannis several weeks ago? That guy might know something.

#3: re: Jordan Love comparisons. Pre-NFL, Jordan Love’s accuracy was a problem. Last year it was only a problem under pressure. Does AJ’s accuracy improve and if so how quickly? Barely in time for his second contract would be disappointing but better than not developing at all.

[Frank Nova]

I too am amused by human emotion

Sounds like something one would say after a nice Chianti and some fava beans.

[jimmybones]

How in the hell can you have a strong opinion on a pick based on a couple hundred NBL minutes that you haven't even seen?

I know nothing about this dude so I don't have an opinion but I find it funny how many here are so confident in their bust or wasted pick labels. I wonder how many similar posts were made after Giannis was drafted.

I totally get the complaints coming from the perspective of preferring someone who is more likely to help right away but going that route of taking <insert whatever dude here> does not guarantee that immediate help either, those dudes bust too.

I'll never fault a team for taking a guy they think ends up being the best dude, even if it takes 2-3 years vs one or two. It's just smart asset management. You don't pass on Aaron Rodgers because you have Brett Favre or Jordan Love because you have Aaron Rodgers.

[jimmybones]

Even if this guy does hit, still a moronic pick. After so many picks horst would be bound to hit one, dude just sucks at drafting talent

This is such a bizarre take

Even if he's right he's wrong!

[GHOSTofSIKMA]

based on resume isnt this guy just as likely to help right away or be a project or whatever the same way brandon jennings was?

not sure jennings stats in europe or johnsons in australia mean a lick related to "help right away"?

i think the bottom line now and always is whether a guy can ball or not in the american game. personally from the clips ive seen he reminds me ALOT of brandon jennings with the handles, the hesi's, the no looks, and the belief he has unlimited range from where hes pulling shots.

with the ball in his hands hes a very different feel from marjon..... a very different feel. he looks like he wants to do people and knows he can

[Badgerlander]

Reminds me of Dejonte murray

Yeah, I see quite a bit of him, too.

That's a fun one. Measurables coming out are pretty spot on.

This could also be said of AJ, from DX in 2016:

Murray has good size for either guard position, measuring 6'5 in shoes with a 6'9 ½ wingspan. He has a thin frame, currently only listed at 170 pounds, but has fairly wide shoulders that indicate he should be able to fill out and get stronger in time. While not freakishly athletic in a traditional sense, Murray is a very fluid and slithery player, capable of playing above the rim in space, and knowing how to get to where he needs to on the floor thanks to his excellent instincts and pace.

AJ might be a tick taller with a slightly lesser wingspan, but pretty close.

Dejonte picked 29th, I remember the rumor that Kidd liked him and we were interested in drafting him

Shooting splits-
Dejonte College .416/.288/.663 .485ts%
Johnson Aus .396/.286/.538 .437ts%

Both guys quick with the ball, good handles, great deceleration, questionable shooting

[M-C-G]

I get a kick out of posters talking themselves into the pick.

Yeah, stupid idiots getting excited about adding a new player to the team. So dumb.

3 people liked that drivel.

Eye opening.

I think there is a certain arrogance on this board that being a strictly objective fan makes you superior to fans that are okay with being optimistic. That’s the f=21 drivel

Like I said, he wasn’t who I would pick, but I’m also not silly enough to look at the tools and see he has things that we don’t have on this team. So coach him up, fatten him up and let’s give the guy a chance.

[sidney lanier]

based on resume isnt this guy just as likely to help right away or be a project or whatever the same way brandon jennings was?

I think I'd take a 6'5" Brandon Jennings. But at this point all we know is that he could be that, or he could also be an undersized Marcus Haislip, or any other variety of bust.

Hoping for the best.

[BigO]

I get a kick out of posters talking themselves into the pick.

Yeah, stupid idiots getting excited about adding a new player to the team. So dumb.

3 people liked that drivel.

Eye opening.

Apparently my drivel is better than your drivel.

My take on this guy is not my main point, except to the extent he is no where close to helping this team win a championship. I think Dunn could have helped right away. Ware, my top choice could have helped right away (Horst would have had to move up). Holmes would have been a good choice.

People can have their optimism, but the human condition is such that in less than 24 hours the same people who slammed a pick now are optimistic. And yet, nothing has changed since the pick was made.

As to drivel, it's what this site is made of. Look at the last two months of postings on trading Middleton. I embrace the drivel.

[M-C-G]

Yeah, stupid idiots getting excited about adding a new player to the team. So dumb.

3 people liked that drivel.

Eye opening.

People can have their optimism, but the human condition is such that in less than 24 hours the same people who slammed a pick now are optimistic. And yet, nothing has changed since the pick was made. .

Ah, what changed is that a bunch of us who never heard of the dude and defaulted to looking at some random mock draft and saw he was in the 30s to make their ‘instant reaction’, calmed down because we got over ‘our guy’ (Dunn, George and Dadiet for me) not getting drafted and took a look at the guy we drafted.

Those that did saw something interesting that could help the team at some point.

[Licensed to Il]

LOL I have AJ Johnson’s realistic NBA comp: Mario Hezonia.

[drone3]

He's a combination of Fox and Crawford

[ReasonablySober]

He's a combination of Fox and Crawford

Rick?

[engelmartin]

He's a combination of Fox and Crawford

Rick?

Rick Crawford? Winner of the 1989 Snowball Derby?