The last time the Milwaukee backs offered an opportunity to a left-handed jump shooter from Columbus, Ohio, who stayed in the Buckeye State to play his college basketball, he did OK.
He wasn’t an overnight sensation. He played a grand total of 35 minutes in his NBA rookie season, but he relentlessly worked himself into the team’s rotation, improved his scoring average in more consecutive seasons than only one player in NBA history and developed into an NBA All-Star and an Olympic gold medalist for Team USA.
Over a span of 11 seasons, he scored 11,554 points and became the fourth-ranking scorer in Bucks history.
Expecting anyone to follow an act like Michael Redd’s would be demanding and probably unrealistic, but Chris Johnson impressed the Bucks enough after signing a 10-day contract to earn another one.
Johnson, 24, had played more games in the NBA D-League (76) than he had in the NBA (66) through March 19, so he has learned not to take anything for granted.
The 6-6 guard/forward has responded accordingly since being summoned from the D-League to Milwaukee in the wee hours of the morning on March 7.
“It’s been a good experience so far,” Johnson said before signing his second 10-day deal with the Bucks. “I’m picking up the play calls and defensive mentality, and trying to find my way and do good things to help the team win.”
Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd displayed a great deal of confidence in Johnson immediately. He played 21 minutes in his first game with Milwaukee against the Washington Wizards on March 7, and he logged more than 20 minutes on two other occasions in his first seven games with the Bucks.
Johnson appreciated the chance.
“Coach Kidd has given me the opportunity to get into games, so I’m trying to make the best of it,” he said. “I’m just trying to do the little things necessary.”
Johnson has made a career out of doing exactly that.
He averaged 26.7 points a game and shot 63 percent from the field as a senior at Columbus Brookhaven High School. The Associated Press named him to the All-Ohio Division I first team after he helped Brookhaven go 80-17 over four years.
Johnson earned a scholarship to the University of Dayton, where he averaged 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a freshman.
He upped his production substantially as a sophomore, starting 36 games and contributing 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per outing.
Johnson started all 36 of Dayton’s games in his junior campaign, averaging 11.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists, and paced the Flyers with 31 steals, 77 3-pointers made and an .830 free-throw percentage.
During Johnson’s senior season in 2011-12, he produced a career-high 12.4 points a game along with 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He helped the Flyers reach the NIT for a third straight season and was named the team’s co-Most Valuable Player.
One of Johnson’s Dayton teammates was Chris Wright, who averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in eight games for the Bucks last season and was a member of Milwaukee’s 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas.
Wright, who is now playing for Turow Zgorzelec of the Polish Basketball League, was influential in Johnson’s career.
“Chris and I played three years together at Dayton,” Johnson said. “He’s a great guy. He’s a hard worker, and he’s a little older than me, so he helped me mature and build confidence.
“He inspired me to work hard every day. We built a great friendship. I always wish the best for him.”
Johnson was not selected in the 2012 NBA Draft, thus beginning his professional basketball odyssey.
He played on the Philadelphia 76ers’ Summer League team in 2012, then signed with the Los Angeles Clippers that September, but was waived Oct. 7. The Orlando Magic signed him two days later, but he was released by the Magic three weeks after that.
Johnson’s association with the NBA D-League began when he was selected by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers with the seventh overall pick in the 2012 D-League Draft.
He was called up to the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 23, 2013, and made his NBA debut that day in a victory over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson signed a second 10-day contract with the Grizzlies on Feb. 3 before returning to the Vipers on Feb. 20.
Johnson spent the 2013 NBA Summer League with the D-League Select Team and spent the 2013 preseason playing for Kidd’s Brooklyn Nets before being released and splitting the 2013-14 season between the D-League’s Vipers and the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
He made his Celtics debut Jan. 21, 2014, collecting 11 points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal against LeBron and the Miami Heat. He averaged 6.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 40 contests with the Celtics.
“My time with the Celtics was a valuable learning experience,” Johnson said.
Boston released Johnson on Sept. 25. He signed with the Philadelphia 76ers four days afterward, but was let go by the Sixers on Nov. 15. He signed a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz that spanned Jan. 28 through Feb. 7, but spent the majority of his 2014-15 season with the Vipers before being signed by the Bucks.
Johnson does not regret the time he has spent in the D-League, nor the hardships and nomadic life that have gone with it.
“The D-League is a lot different than the NBA, but at the end of the day, there are a lot more things in the world that are going on,” he said. “You can’t complain about it if it’s going to get you where you want to go. You just have to take it for what it is, accept it, embrace the journey and make the best of it.”
Johnson knows the D-League has been beneficial to his career. He was averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 17 appearances for Rio Grande Valley prior to his latest promotion.
“I’m fortunate to have had the D-League to open up this opportunity,” he said. “Without it, I wouldn’t be here. You develop a mindset, go in and keep working hard and pushing yourself, trying to reach that dream.
“It’s been a great experience. It makes you appreciate the opportunity to get to the NBA, stay around and show your talent.”
Johnson has done that since his arrival in Milwaukee as the 44th Gatorade Call-up of the D-League season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per game.
“Chris will continue to build on what he’s done for us,” Kidd said. “In a short time, he’s done a lot of good things.”
Johnson said his transition to the Bucks has been smooth.
“This one has been a little bit easier than my others,” he said. “I became familiar with ‘J-Kidd’ last year during the preseason with Brooklyn, so this hasn’t been too bad. It’s basketball. After you study film sessions and walk through plays, you just try to go out there and perform.
“This is a great group of guys. These guys want to get better, and they compete every day. We’re all trying to build chemistry, and that gives me confidence as well. Along with that, we’re trying to build every day to get better and win games.”