Thoughts On Wes Johnson

[TDotRep]

Hey T-wolves board, I just wanted to know how you guys feel about Wes Johnson. How he's played, if you think he will improve into a borderline all-star, would you draft Wes again given the chance. And if you were to trade him what would you expect in return?

[Piecake]

Hey T-wolves board, I just wanted to know how you guys feel about Wes Johnson. How he's played, if you think he will improve into a borderline all-star, would you draft Wes again given the chance. And if you were to trade him what would you expect in return?

Johnson hasnt been playing well lately at all, but before that he played alright. The two things he really needs to do to improve his game is to become more aggressive in all facets of the game and develop a decent handle. His shooting stroke is really smooth, his passing and court vision are great, and I think he is a really smart player. Lately though, he hit the rookie wall, and has just been playing bad, making stupid mistakes, shooting poorly, and not affecting the game in all facets.

As for if I would draft him again, I guess I wouldnt have a problem with it, though it would be nice to have Monroe, Cousins or Fields on this team. As for return, I really dont know. I'd have to see the offer/s before i make a decision

[Foye]

He needs an injunction of confidence and aggressiveness. He's maybe the most talented player on our roster but it's frustrating to see that he doesn't show up in a lot of games because he's not aggressiv enough. And he needs to work on his handles a bit.

[Ice32]

I think Wes will be fine this season and next. He has played 42 games, started 35 of those, and the next 39 games, he may be watching from the bench - which isn’t a bad thing. It will give him an opportunity to really show what he is capable of as a scorer with the 2nd unit.

He’s averaged just under 9 ppg in less than 27 mpg on a team where he isn’t playing is natural position, and isn’t the 2nd, 3rd or 4th scoring option. He can hit shots; he has a nice jumper, good passing ability, is a decent defender but simply lacks confidence and aggressiveness.

If he attempted to drive to the hole more, he could easily average 6-8 FTs per game, but sometimes he just looks lost on the court. Maybe that’s a coaching issue? But he has the ability to score points, and one day he could average 20 ppg.

On Draft day, I would have taken Cousins, and brought him off the bench. With the injuries we have suffered at the front court spots – Darko – 2 games, Beasley – 4 games, Tolliver – 17 games and Pek a few, Cousins would have fit in nicely on this squad, and maybe even replaced Darko as a starting centre.

We already had Brewer, Ellington and Webster at the 2 spot, so missing out on Wes would not have hurt I don’t think. Plus even if Brewer isn’t brought back next year, there’s enough cap space to make a trade or sign a shooting guard like Iggy.

Wes is a good player, one day he will be great – but right now, he needs to learn how to fit in and find his role on this team. He’s already been demoted to Brewer, and now losing minutes to Ellington.

[Foshan]

Can you imagine the rebounding if Cousins/Love were paired together. sick

[shangrila]

Can you imagine the rebounding if Cousins/Love were paired together. sick

Can you imagine the defence. Gross

[LordBaldric]

He's played like a little bitch.

[shangrila]

In hindsight I think we just had unrealistic expectations for Wes. He was basically a combo forward in college and to expect him to magically become a guard was a little naive. With the rest of the season and an offseason of development he should be a lot better.

[Calinks]

Wes Who?

[Devilzsidewalk]

he can shoot 3's but we have nobody that can draw attention in the paint to get him open looks
he can hit midrange j's, but we dont run him off screens much
he can make plays in transition, but we don't ever get defensive stops

[C.lupus]

Wes has the athleticism, shooting touch, desire to play defense, and NBA body to be a successful player. He lacks handles and agressiveness right now. I think the agressiveness will come with time, although I don't think he will ever be a #1 option/creator. He seems to view himself as a Pippen-type guy, not a Jordan-type so I think a lot of it is just his mindset. The handles may be the one limiting factor for him. I would really like to see how he would look as a 2nd or 3rd option on offense playing next to a playmaking PG, though.

[younggunsmn]

This DX writeup pretty much sums him up so far:
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Wes ... nson-1215/

What we are asking him to do (stand on the perimeter and wait for a pass) does not serve him at all.
If we used him like Detroit uses Rip Hamilton (run him off screens) he could be much more effective.

The dude's confidence is just shot. He is playing not to screw up, instead of trying to make things happen, partly because he has been so frequently yanked for every mistake he makes, and that is leading to his bad play more than anything else. He was a much more confident and self-assured player at Syracuse.

His defense and shooting were much, much better before his awful January run when Rambis decided Corey Brewer needed his minutes. When he played 30+ earlier in the year he was generally a net positive out there. Before his minutes got cut he had an adjusted FG% of like 56% which is outstanding. And he has been decent on D, I think his defensive shortcomings have been overblown by TPTB as a way to justify playing Brewer.

Wes has a ton of talent. I really think this has become a wasted season for him and I think the way Rambis has treated him, and his role, have contributed heavily to his struggles. He probably shouldn't have started on day 1, but still been given 20+ minutes every night.

Case in point was the Orlando game, with Beasley out, where he had a good first half, taking a drive into the body of Dwight Howard and drawing his 2nd foul in the 1st quarter, which was key to building our lead. (Something we've been wanting to see from Wes all year).

Then 5 minutes into the 2nd quarter he makes turnovers on consecutive possessions (one a miscommunication on a pass to Darko, the other a high pass to Brewer that he kicked around before turning over), and Wes went to the bench and never came back in, even though the unit Rambis replaced him with got absolutely slaughtered by Orlando. Wes was a +9 that game. Next game same thing, yanked 5 mins into the 3rd for Ellington and didn't return. Then DNP-CD vs Portland. Then garbage 1st half mins vs the Clips.

If you ask me something is off with the way Rambis is treating Wes, so here's my conspiracy theory:
This is a powerplay by Rambis vs Kahn.
Maybe Kahn came to Rambis and told him he wanted Wes to play more because he had decided Brewer didn't have a future here. Maybe Rambis resented it and is punishing Wesley for it.

Anyways, I think it is poor long-term strategy to play guys you pretty much know what you're going to get from (Brewer, Ellington) over the bigger upside player you just drafted 4th overall, when you're one of the worst 2 teams in the league. And I've let that be known many times. Holding Wes to 20-25 minutes is defensible. DNP-CD's or 5-10 minutes is not, when you're this bad.

[moss_is_1]

He needs to play more, once his handle improves I think he's going to be a really nice player. Good defense, good shooting, good passer, great hops..

[Krapinsky]

Well, naturally, I'm not going to buy Younggunsmans latest theory. I think Rambis is trying to win ball games, since that is his job as coach. Playing Brewer or Ellington over Johnson gives us a better chance to do that. Fans and the players are getting restless, and having Johnson give up 6-7 three pointers a game to the opposing teams starting SG is one of the main contributing factors leading to losses and the fan/player restlessness.

I think if you're going to read anything into it at all, it would be that Kahn/Rambis is playing Brewer more to build up his trade value at the deadline.

[jack612]

Needs to grow a pear.

[GDG]

Needs to grow a pear.

Or maybe a full tree?

[Breakdown777]

He's been about as good as you could expect from a rookie learning a new system and position.

Lately, he has hit that rookie wall. Maybe the four day break from games we just had can help him out.
I do think he could be used better, and it's just not happening. Have him as the number 1 option off the bench coming off screens and driving, and he should turn another corner.

And sorry to go a bit off-topic, but as far as the 2nd unit is concerned:
Flynn
Webster
Wes
Tolliver
Pek

That looks like a super-solid unit to me. Terrible on D, but with Flynn running pick'n'roll or driving, webster and wes both being excellent shooters, and two servicable bigs down low, that lineup should be much better. Once Flynn improves I can see that entire unit really being able to score.

As for a trade, I'm torn when wanting to trade rookies. I still see a lot of potential (and I think the front office does too), so I don't see any trades eminent unless your talking all-star who fits the team like a glove.

[UK-Wolf]

He's been about as good as you could expect from a rookie learning a new system and position.

Lately, he has hit that rookie wall. Maybe the four day break from games we just had can help him out.
I do think he could be used better, and it's just not happening. Have him as the number 1 option off the bench coming off screens and driving, and he should turn another corner.

And sorry to go a bit off-topic, but as far as the 2nd unit is concerned:
Flynn
Webster
Wes
Tolliver
Pek

That looks like a super-solid unit to me. Terrible on D, but with Flynn running pick'n'roll or driving, webster and wes both being excellent shooters, and two servicable bigs down low, that lineup should be much better. Once Flynn improves I can see that entire unit really being able to score.

As for a trade, I'm torn when wanting to trade rookies. I still see a lot of potential (and I think the front office does too), so I don't see any trades eminent unless your talking all-star who fits the team like a glove.

Agree with everyone you've said above.

Given that 3 of that unit above are either in their rookie/sophomore years I think after a bit of experience and adjustment to the league it can be a solid rotation. As you say, it's D I'd be worried about..perimeter D specifically.

[younggunsmn]

Well, naturally, I'm not going to buy Younggunsmans latest theory. I think Rambis is trying to win ball games, since that is his job as coach. Playing Brewer or Ellington over Johnson gives us a better chance to do that.

There is absolutely no evidence Brewer or Ellington gives us a better chance to win. We are 2-8 in 2011 and those wins are over an awful NJ team and a Wizards team that is 0-20 on the road. Our last 4 losses with Brewer and Ellington getting all the SG mins have been by 11, 9, 11, and 15, and the opposing SG's have outperformed them each time. Rambis's job on THIS team is primarily to develop the young talent. He has failed utterly with Wes.

Fans and the players are getting restless, and having Johnson give up 6-7 three pointers a game to the opposing teams starting SG is one of the main contributing factors leading to losses and the fan/player restlessness.

This is a blatant exaggeration. The one game Wes Matthews got hot in the first half and dropped 7 treys, Wes was only responsible for 3 of them. You are buying into all the Jim Peterson hype.

I think if you're going to read anything into it at all, it would be that Kahn/Rambis is playing Brewer more to build up his trade value at the deadline.

This would be idiotic if true as there is very little chance we could get anything of value for Brewer.

I still say there is something out of the ordinary about Rambis's treatment of Wes outside of the usual distaste for rookies. Players of different personality types respond differently, and you can't motivate different personalities with the same schtick. Any decent coach knows that.

When the primary problem is aggressiveness, how do you expect a guy to be more aggressive when he's constantly worried about being pulled from the game if he makes a turnover or misses a rotation?

[57special]

He needs to figure out how he can score in the NBA. He seems to have physical talent, and be relatively smart, but right now he's playing like a kid in a man's game. The Wolves are going nowhere till they get a reliable shooter on the team. Webster was supposed to be that, but i don't see it. Brewer is a horrible shooter. Ellington can't find his shot, either.