Stanley Johnson has been one of the best rookies during the NBA Summer League thus far. The rookie out of Arizona is averaging 17.8 ppg and is chipping in 7.5 rpg as well. After several years of finding a legitimate small forward, the Pistons may have their guy in Johnson. Johnson isn’t the prototypical small forward that is 6’9 and can defend and shoot the three, but he has an arsenal of skill and his abnormally strong for a player that’s his age. Johnson, who stands at 6’7 and weighs in at 245, is built like a NFL tight end rather than a NBA player. Johnson has been arguably the best rookie of the summer league, and is on par to play big minutes for Stan Van Gundy and the Detroit Pistons.
At Arizona, Johnson was a jack-of-all trades, and that may have been a knock on him coming out, due to him not standing out at one particular skill. Despite losing Greg Monroe, the Pistons are building a pretty formidable roster in the Eastern Conference as they look to make their first playoff bid in a very long time. In the new NBA, Johnson’s ability to guard multiple positions as well as play multiple positons will suit him well in the early stages of his career. The Pistons have struck out on Draymond Green in free agency, but they have a Swiss-army knife of their own in Stanley Johnson. Take a look at Johnson’s summer league highlights in the video below.
