Why Tre Johnson Fits Extremely Well with Washington Wizards

With how the board turned out for the Washington Wizards at No. 6 on Wednesday night, their selection of former Texas Longhorn Tre Johnson seems like a pick brimming with both fit and upside.

The various potential landing spots for Johnson in his draft range threw a lot of different possibilities at him, in terms of how he'd conform with the scheme, teammates, and immediate role.

In retrospect, Washington looks like the best place that the SEC Freshman of the Year could have landed in that mid-high lottery area -- and here are some reasons why:

Off-Ball Shotmaker

The Wizards will rely on 2024 first-round pick Bub Carrington and recently acquired CJ McCollum as their primary ball-handlers. Last season, Carrington took on the point guard role in his rookie season, and McCollum was on the ball a lot in the 56 games he played for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Johnson, therefore, should be utilized as a more classic shooting guard in Washington, thriving with his movement shooting and catch-and-shoot ability. Johnson displayed proficiency in three-point shooting off screens (54.8 percent, although a smaller sample size, according to writer Eric Spyropoulos) and off the dribble (38.4 percent) at Texas, making him very capable of frustrating NBA defenses off-the-ball.

Johnson will get plenty of opportunity to show off his high, quick release early on in his career.

Defensive Development

The Wizards were poor defensively last season, giving up the second-most points per game to opposing offenses. Yet, the team has pieces that have capability to make it a better defensive unit. Frenchmen Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr are young Wizards starters with known defensive skill, and guard Marcus Smart, a former Defensive Player of the Year, could add to that if he remains with the team.

Johnson will be able to feed into that surrounding defensive coherence without having to take on a massive role to start. With his lengthy frame, Johnson has the tools to become less of a liability as a defender down the line. Work needs to be done in Washington for that to become a reality, but the hope is definitely there.

Mentorship

With McCollum being traded to Washington a day before the draft, Johnson will now have the chance to be mentored by two veterans who have both been real effective scorers in their careers. McCollum and Khris Middleton have each played big roles on playoff teams in the NBA and now find themselves as 33-year-olds within a roster rebuild in Washington.

The two, for however long they spend with the Wizards, should be important voices for Johnson to learn from as a rookie.

In Johnson's NBA Draft profile, McCollum is listed as one of the good examples of "bigger, score-first guards who developed into solid playmakers at the NBA level." Washington's acquisitions of McCollum and Johnson in back-to-back days could be looked back on as a very beneficial combination due to McCollum's expected contributions to Johnson's development.

Star Potential

There is a path to Johnson being a starter on this team from Day 1, which would not have been the case with every one of his potential landing spots.

It was rumored that Ace Bailey, whose camp was reportedly vocal about his route to stardom pre-draft, was targeting Washington on Wednesday night. But after Bailey was taken at No. 5 by the Utah Jazz, it is Johnson who begins his career with the Wizards.

With Johnson's top-of-the-line shotmaking, he very well could be the main scoring option of Washington's future. The Wizards have not had an All-Star selection since Bradley Beal in the 2020-21 season. Across their current roster, I'd say Johnson is the favorite to end that drought.

Now with draft night in the books, next up for the former Longhorn is signing his rookie contract and participating in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The mission of reinvigorating professional basketball in the nation's capital is just beginning.