Wizards Rookie Listed Among Summer's Best Draft Picks

Tre Johnson has already made quite the impression for himself in his short stint with the Washington Wizards franchise.

He's yet to suit up for an official NBA game with the team, with his appearances following his getting drafted a month ago limited to NBA Summer League and quotes, but he's breaking new ground for what Wizards fans should expect out of their next potential star.

It's been a long time since the Wizards drafted someone with someone with Johnson's offensive skillset. He was tabbed all draft season as the best pure scorer on the board, and he looked the part in limited Summer League appearances. Now that the Las Vegas games are over, he's coasting on the brief impression he made and watching his hype build heading into his rookie season.

ESPN has already rounded up rookie-related opinions from people with sway in the league, who've come to the conclusion that Johnson must be in the same class as his star draft classmates.

Jeremy Woo interviewed 20 anonymous executives and scouts, and while the vast majority of the officials voted on one of the top two draft selections in Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper in guessing their prospective Rookie of the Year winners, one voter stuck their neck out for the No. 6 pick.

"I assume someone like Bailey or Johnson may outscore Cooper as a rookie," one Eastern Conference executive said, "but Cooper will make more meaningful contributions that push Dallas into play-in range."

That's an accurate assessment of Johnson, who averaged a shade under 20 points per game in the Summer League — just like he had in college. The opportunity he'll be granted as an automatic bucket on a Washington team otherwise-lacking in players of his archetype gives him a fair shot at top rookie honors, something many analysts predicted immediately upon the draft pick's announcement.