Houston Rockets: The Arrival of Nick Johnson?

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m actually looking forward to seeing what our second-round pick can do!

The Houston Rockets selected Nick Johnson No. 42 overall in the 2nd Round.

Johnson, 20, the 6’3,” 198-pound Arizona Wildcat, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year and nephew of the late NBA great Dennis Johnson looks to make the cut on a roster that is already crowded with guards.

DraftExpress on Johnson’s strengths:

"” First and foremost, he’s an absolutely phenomenal athlete, with rare explosiveness and the competitiveness to use that to his advantage, especially on the defensive end.”"

Last season with the Wildcats, Johnson averaged 16.3 points, shooting 43 percent from field,  shooting 78 percent from the charity stripe and doling out about three assists per game, all top-ranked numbers in the conference.

Johnson’s hallmark seems to be his ability to be effective on both ends of the floor being named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team for the past two seasons.

That’s definitely a breath of fresh air for a roster that is in bad need of more defensive specialists like Johnson.

It has been said his hallmark seems to be his ability to play on both ends of the floor, his energetic, high-level of play and move the ball up-and-down the court effectively.  He has been compared to a poor man’s Avery Bradley.

The weakness that works against him is his size, which is no fault of his own.  He’s barely over the six-foot mark which makes him largely undersized for the tasks that a shooting guard has.  He is built like a point guard but lacks the necessary, consistent ball-handling, play-making skills to be successful at the professional level thus far.

Those ball-handling skills will be something that he’ll have to continue to work on in order to see future success in the NBA.

But, you never know, that’s something I’m sure he knows that he has to work on.

He even told CSN Houston’s Adam Wexler as such:

Clutchfan’s quote from Johnson on the Rockets’ player that most resembles himself:

Patrick Beverley‘s thoughts on Johnson, echoing his sentiments:

Former Rockets’ Guard Aaron Brooks on his brow-raising athletic ability:

My highest expectation is seeing Johnson making the roster but on the deep end of the bench. He will be brought in as a defensive specialist in some safe spurts during game under the tutelage of Patrick Beverley.  He has some considerable competition but he can break through it.  However, it remains to be seen what his overall impact will be early in.

I know for sure that I’ll have the opportunity to see him in NBA Summer League play next month, and I’ll keep a keen eye on his characteristics that have made him stand out!

Welcome to H-Town Nick — I know you’re going to work to pursue the dream you’ve been chasing your entire life!