The 2024-25 Utah Jazz season will likely be remembered by who the team drafts on June 25th. This comes after losing a franchise record 65 games and securing the top odds in the draft lottery. Because of this, the team should end up in a good spot on draft night and will be able to add a high-level prospect.
Next up on our list is Tre Johnson, the sharpshooting guard from Texas. Let’s dive in.
Stats: 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks, 42.7% FG, 39.7% 3P, 87.1% FT
Draft Range: 4-8
Player Comparison: Cam Thomas/Buddy Hield
Analysis
Tre Johnson is your guy if you’re looking for an off-guard who can fill up the point column. A smooth offensive weapon who needs just a sliver of space to let his beautiful jumper fly, Johnson’s 19.9 points led all high-major freshmen this season while playing in the SEC.
The shot is Johnson’s money maker and something he’s excellent with, regardless of whether it’s a catch-and-shoot opportunity, an off-the-dribble look, or comes out of movement within the team’s offense. Everything about his shot seems translatable from his quick mechanics to the touch on his shot to his limitless range. He took over 200 attempts this season and knocked them down at a blistering 39.7%.
A question mark about his offense scaling up to the NBA is whether or not Johnson can create space off the dribble against superior NBA athletes, something he struggled with at times, even against college competition. Listed at a generous 6’6, Johnson is a fine but not great athlete.
The lack of athleticism can also show up at the rim. He doesn’t get there all that frequently and has some finishing concerns. Regardless, he has excellent touch on his shot and should learn enough tricks to finish at a good rate.
While he’s not a great playmaker, he did show some encouraging playmaking flashes beyond what his assist totals would make you suspect. He’s not a selfish player by any means; he’s comfortable with the ball in his hands, and his feel for creating space is good. While he projects to be a true shooting guard, Johnson provides enough playmaking upside to believe he can be a secondary creator who keeps your offense flowing.
Defensively is where my biggest concerns lie with the Texas Longhorn. As we’ve already touched on, he doesn’t have overwhelming measurables or athletic traits. Though he wasn’t terrible, he didn’t do much to add to Texas’s defense. He struggled at times to slide his feet and stay in front of ball handlers. Sprinkle in his low steal and block rates, and there’s definitely room to grow on that end.
With an already poor Jazz defense, does adding another average to below-average defender accomplish anything? This isn’t to say he can’t or won’t improve on that end. He had several good flashes of containing the ball, and his effort was usually high. There’s also an argument that his offense is so good that his defense won’t matter.
Overall, the draw to Johnson is his upside as a scorer and the heights he could reach either as a primary option or, more likely, as a spacing nightmare. He’s truly an elite shooting prospect, which could make him worthy of a top-five pick this summer.
While he’s someone teams should be excited to draft, the Jazz likely would need to fall to five in the lottery for Johnson to be their guy.
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