Summer League Options

[eddog2]

From David Thorpe:

"I understand why the Bulls drafted Johnson. But not Gibson."

"Bulls fans, can you explain why Linton Johnson is playing in this game, while some talented young prospects ride pine?"

"Randolph just had the dunk of summer leagues, past-present-and future. Think Superman's throwdown, plus the And1 factor. Stunning and sweet!"

"Johnson has scored on a great dribble move, a sweet jumper, and a post flash to the middle of the paint. Very, very nice.He gets great arc on his shot. Rare for a rook."

"James Johnson with the best hesitation move of the week for a bucket."

"Players I've seen sporting mohawks. Thabeet, Jennings, and now James Johnson. Hmmm."

Great to hear the positive about Johnson. Though the first comment about Taj is not a good start. I'm still upset that they didn't draft Blair. And I'll be more upset once Taj flames out and Blair is still dominating. But I guess to flame out you have to have some talent first.

Unfortunately I can't get the game. My friend provided me with this link but it's not working. And I'm not paying $15 for Summer League. http://atdhe.net/index.html

[eddog2]

Okay I'm watching now. James Johnson hit a jumper and did have nice arc. Just watching him move around he looks like Paul Pierce.

[ZoomSlowik]

I was just going to come in here and comment on the final box score...

-Randolph absolutely destroyed us, 42 points, 4 steals and 3 blocks. When is Nelson going to wake up and play him more?

-Stephen Curry is off to a terrible start, shot 34% in Orlando and went 3-15 in this game.

-Looks like Johnson had a very good game. I like his ability a lot, he's got nice upside.

-James Augustine with the suprising big man performance against the Warriors, apparently that even carries over to Summer League (no, he has no NBA future).

[ZoomSlowik]

Okay I'm watching now. James Johnson hit a jumper and did have nice arc. Just watching him move around he looks like Paul Pierce.

I'll admit I didn't watch this game, but I have seen him play at Wake multiple times and he isn't anywhere close to the outside shooter/ball-handler that Pierce is. He does have great size and a varied skill-set though. If he pans out I'm thinking more like David West, or if he goes more perimeter oriented maybe Rudy Gay.

[Steve9347]

I said this to Edwin... If JJ could just come out and show us he was a steal immediately, I'd be a happy camper.

This game was a good one.

[Nbaderricknash]

Actually Gibson played a pretty good game hustled, got on the boards, and blocked some shots. So IMO he exactly what was expected of him, while JJ played a really great game. He made plays in transition, on the post, and on the outside just like thorpe mentioned and I knew he could handle the ball, but impressed me alot w/ that aspect of his game.

[Chicago Bulls Fr...]

Yeah Anthony Randolph killed us. 42 points? Wow- he has all the potential in the world but he's still gotta crash the boards a little more.

James Johnson from what I've heard has a silky smooth shot even from 3. That's a great asset to have when Derrick Rose is your point guard.

Did he have any post moves from this game that you saw?

[DutheDoduhon21]

didnt see the game just highlights. but JJ had 21 points, solid 1st game for him. augustine also with 21. taj had 14 and 12, the only double double of the game. nelson also with 14.

[SoxFan1]

Solid production so far from the rooks.

[Steve9347]

highlights here

Sam Smith's take

[rockren]

James Johnson could be Josh Howard for us. He looks like he'll fit Rose like a glove.

[eddog2]

James Johnson could be Josh Howard for us. He looks like he'll fit Rose like a glove.

It's a little premature but after one game I really was impressed with what I saw from Johnson. He showed a couple of nice hesitation moves and a willingness to drive to the basket which I really like. He didn't convert every time but he did get a nice dunk and some free throw shots by driving. He was also unselfish on the court and often tried to push the ball down the court. His jumper looked good tonight but I have to seem him shoot against better defense for me to claim he has Rudy Gay or Paul Pierce type shooting potential.

I made the Paul Pierce reference to refer to the way he moves on the court not his shooting/scoring ability. He does a lot of hesitation moves and he isn't afraid to handle and distribute the ball (both of which PP does well).

I'm hoping he is a step up from Josh Howard. Here's how the two compared as sophmores.

Josh Howard
13.6 ppg, 5.9rpg, 49% FG, 39.1% 3PFG, 68.5% FT, 1.8 apg, 1.1 bpg, 2.0 spg in 27.2mpg
James Johnson
15.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 54.2% FG, 31.9% 3PFG, 68.9% FT, 2.0 apg, 1.5 bpg, 1.4 spg in 30.5 mpg

The scoring is pretty even but Johnson is much more effecient from 2 while Howard was a better 3 point shooter at that stage (Johnson improved from a 28% shooter to a 31.9% shooting from the arc which is a good sign). The main difference between the two is their rebounding numbers and the FG%. Johnson averaged 8.5 rpg which shows he has a willingness to bang. Howard didn't come close to the rebounding numbers until he was a senior and his best FG% was 50.4%. And it's not b/c he took way more 3's. That year (his junior season) Howard took 79 3's and Johnson shot 69 this year.

If Johnson can continue to shoot close to 50% or more than 50% for the Bulls he'll be a big addition. He'll also need to try and get the FT% up to 80%. That's likely to happen. All he has to do is put in the work like Tyrus has. (Tyrus improved from a 60.6% shooter his rookie year to 78.3% last season).

I'm really excited about Johnson. I must admit that I had my doubts. One game won't change that but if he continues to play well I'll be extremely happy with the pick. As for Taj, I'm still not excited about that pick and I don't think he has a long term future in the NBA. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

[ZoomSlowik]

Johnson has a ton of potential given his size, athleticism and skill set. The knocks on him coming out where his decision making and consistency, plus some concerns that he was a bit of a 'tweener (kind of BS if you ask me given his size and skill set). He had a habit of putting up games like this one and then putting up something like 10-5 with 4 turnovers while he was at Wake. If he can polish up his game you might have a difference maker, and I honestly don't know how someone with his tools made it to #16 in this crappy draft.

One other minor thing to keep in mind is that he's older than your typical sophomore, he turned 22 in February. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, just something to keep in mind when figuring out his upside, in terms of age and polish he's more like a college senior.

[Chisoxfn]

Actually Gibson played a pretty good game hustled, got on the boards, and blocked some shots. So IMO he exactly what was expected of him, while JJ played a really great game. He made plays in transition, on the post, and on the outside just like thorpe mentioned and I knew he could handle the ball, but impressed me alot w/ that aspect of his game.

Welcome aboard. I'm intrigued to see how Taj does. He's got a nice motor and should be a good role player. I liken him to a better defensive version of Carl Landry.

JJ is really impressive. I'm pretty excited about him.

[Nbaderricknash]

Welcome aboard. I'm intrigued to see how Taj does. He's got a nice motor and should be a good role player. I liken him to a better defensive version of Carl Landry.

JJ is really impressive. I'm pretty excited about him.

Thanks