Wizards’ Rookie Guard Won’t Stop Practicing

Many fans will be pleased to hear of Johnson's commitment, with his drive for scoring and improving heavily contributing to Washington's picking him sixth-overall in this past NBA Draft. He was regarded for his tireless work ethic, a factor that's inspired optimism in his hopes of improving on his weaker defensive package, and his preseason self-awareness regarding where he's left room for improvement has only backed up the organization's faith in their best bucket-generating prospect.

His insistence on remaining in the gym only aligns with everything that came out of interviews with the Wizards concerning his approach, with several key veteran figures already pinpointing his aggressive approach to practice while flagging his need for hobbies.

General manager Will Dawkins already went on record saying that Johnson needs hobbies, which CJ McCollum elaborated on in detailing some conversations he's had with the rising rookie. His focus is admirable, but as the longtime scorer knows, you need more than basketball to remain mentally balanced over the course of a grueling 82-game season.

Johnson's been the living embodiment of Dawkins' plans to raise the stakes entering season three of his long rebuild, as he's adamant about instilling winning habits within his young core despite their lack of victorious game-to-game experiences at the NBA level.

He's repeatedly targeted players who want to continue improving upon their versatile skillsets while maintaining that hunger for continually taking steps forward, and that's where much of his own draft picks fit in. Johnson, Bub Carrington, Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George make up his perimeter staff, and he's intent on seeing all of those pieces take advantage of the open shots and opportunity in front of them this upcoming season.

Johnson's yet to log an NBA minute, though, making his merciless work ethic that much more valuable to those predicting how Washington's rotation will shake out.