AJ Johnson Makes More Sense on the Wizards

From Milwaukee came a big name in Khris Middleton, a former score-first All-Star and 2021 NBA Finals Champion. He was a longtime Buck and hardened playoff performer, but one who’s probably played his best basketball after succumbing to recurring leg injuries over the last three seasons. 

Rookie first-round pick AJ Johnson also made the trip east, with the hope of breaking into Washington’s young core as their fourth first-year prospect.

Two months since that agreement, and it’s been made abundantly clear that Johnson was no throw-in. He’s been the most valuable player involved in the transaction on either side— a clear induction into the Wizards’ pool of potential after some stellar flashes shown down the back end of this season.

Johnson Finding a More Appropriate Landing Spot

The Wizards have demonstrated their desire for a clear prospect archetype over their two drafts with this iteration of the front office calling the shots. 

Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George each fall into the classification of defensive-minded young guys with the length to make plays and the shooting and feel to develop on the other end.

Contrary to many of his new teammates, Johnson didn’t make waves with his defensive or playmaking upside. He was seen as raw, not unlike Sarr, but Johnson profiled more as an athletic guard with a confident jump shot and a little playmaking juice.

He didn’t get much spin in Milwaukee, with the generally rookie-averse Doc Rivers having little short-term use for a young guy trying to figure out his role in the league while chasing a high-seeded playoff spot. The team has gone on record stating how much they liked the 20-year-old— they just valued Kuzma more as a hypothetical plug-and-play scorer next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

Wizards Coach Brian Keefe, much less concerned with locking down postseason positioning, has provided Johnson with a much longer leash to show what he has to offer.

Johnson’s Extra Athletic Gear Adding a New Wrinkle

Johnson fully took advantage of the majority of Washington’s veteran guard room, falling victim to various injuries as the season waned, whether they were incumbents like Malcolm Brogdon and Corey Kispert or older contributors who couldn’t offer Johnson’s night-to-night reliability like Middleton and Marcus Smart.

The rookie slotted in alongside Carrington as part-time ball-handlers beneath Jordan Poole in the pecking order, helping one another get going off-ball when sharing minutes and dictating the offense when left on their own.

Johnson started slow but eventually worked his way into a regular, 30+ minute-per-game role in the last few weeks of the season thanks to his athleticism and scoring dynamism. He provided the young Wizards with a brand of playmaker they didn’t previously employ.

While the slick Poole can get downhill whenever he wants with his deep bag of handling tricks, Johnson possesses a first step that would be among the quickest on any team in the association. He can beat most defenders off the dribble and can finish plays as a smaller lob catcher on the fast break with help from his bouncy vertical hang time.

Johnson tries to shoot like Poole, too, but without the same sort of high-30% efficiency from deep. His shot diet largely relies on difficult step-back looks from three-point range, but more usage in his last five games has given him the runway to knock down a few awe-inspiring looks in reaching double-digit scoring performances in four of his last five games.

His playmaking progress was also further along than many expected upon his arrival. He’s already deftly aware of how he can warp defenses with his shooting and driving bursts, given that he’s already converted on some kooky-looking finishing attempts.

He knows when defenses have overextended on closing out on him from deep, and can both fling cross-court passes from the top of the key and drag helpers in before making his reads as a live driver and kicker.

Importance of End-Of-Season Reps

For many teams, the end of the season is just killing time as the good teams prepare for the playoffs. The Wizards, more invested in next season and the future after that, have treated these last dozen games with the same intensity as any other earlier in the calendar, taking with them lessons on how to compete and close against opponents.

“You see AJ’s ability to get into the paint, make plays for himself and others, those guys are growing,” Keefe said after a rare win against the fully-healthy Sacramento Kings last Wednesday that he and Carrington sealed on their own.

“You can see his speed, his ability to get downhill, create shots for himself and also create shots for others. That gives us a great little thing to have on our roster. Shot clock’s going down and he can create a shot for himself.”

That top-shelf athleticism not only helps these young competitors stick around in contests 70+ games into the season, but also provides Washington with a piece to play with going forward.

Young players with AJ Johnson’s combination of twitch and scoring don’t come around often, making for another win for this fledgling front office’s attempt at building on the young core.