ORLANDO – The youngest guy on any Orlando Summer League roster also happens to be the most consistent player here. Stanley Johnson was good again – really good again – and the Pistons will leave Orlando feeling even more sure they got it right on draft night.
The Pistons ripped Indiana 90-65 and got contributions up and down their roster, but nobody was more impressive than Johnson. And the 20 points and 10 rebounds only tell part of the story.
As he’s done here in each of four games, Johnson made a handful of plays that paint a composite of a complete basketball player. Johnson doesn’t just play both ends of the court, he plays every inch of 94 feet – capable of scoring in a variety of ways and guarding a variety of players.
He recorded the most impressive blocked shot of the week, snuffing powerful Romero Osby’s dunk attempt on sheer hustle, strength and athleticism. He burst through a screen attempt to force an Indiana turnover. He made another knifing steal on the wing and went end to end for a layup. He bullied his way through traffic to complete a driving layup from the wing, scoring through contact and drawing the foul. And he executed another deft pass off a pick and roll that spoon fed Jared Berggren a dunk, later doing it again on a layup attempt that failed.
It might be a while before we’re sure what Johnson’s NBA strengths will be, but it’s rare to find a player so young without an obvious weakness. Does he check off every box?
“I would say so,” he said. “I have a lot of learning to do in making those checks darker, bolder and getting better. A lot of things. But I can be very versatile on the court, like I preached before the draft started, playing one through four positions and doing a lot of things on the court and now what I said, I’m backing myself up.”
Johnson’s four-game averages show he’s leading the Pistons in scoring (17.8, highest among all Summer League rookies), rebounding (7.5), steals (2.3) and shooting percentage (.643) among players who’ve taken at least four shots. The Pistons see a player mature beyond his years and showing no signs of mental or physical fatigue despite the whirlwind of draft preparation, finding an NBA home and grinding through the ninth day of non-stop Summer League practices and games.
“I give him a lot of credit,” Pistons coach Bob Beyer said. “He goes from day to day, game to game, and based on his performance of the last game, he doesn’t let it affect his next game. He’s a guy that’s hungry to learn.”
The Pistons, indoctrinating their young players in the rigors of NBA life, even held an 8 a.m. shootaround for their matinee tip with the Pacers. There, Beyer told Johnson to expect to be tested with postups from two-year Pacers veteran Solomon Hill, who’s played a lot of meaningful NBA minutes.
“Here’s another thing he does well,” Beyer said. “In our walkthrough this morning, he was locked in. He knew the defensive coverage. He knew how to defend him and right on the first play, he set the tone with that first defensive stand.”
Hill tried lowering a shoulder into Johnson’s chest to create space, but he didn’t move him an inch. Hill, who preceded Johnson at Arizona, settled for a contested jump shot that missed.
“Solomon is like a big brother to me,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy I talked to for advice about the NBA, a guy that helped me with my college decision. Now, when we’re playing basketball against each other, it’s a different story. For some guy to attack me the first play of the game, I think that says volumes about what the coach thinks about me and, therefore, I take it disrespectfully. That’s like a chip on my shoulder already to start the game.”
Johnson had plenty of help in the best wire-to-wire performance of the Summer League from the two other players who’ll be his teammates during the NBA season, Spencer Dinwiddie and Darrun Hilliard. Dinwiddie only played 19 minutes but finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two turnovers. He looked in charge and picked his spots judiciously.
“Stan (Van Gundy) told me, ‘Just relax,’ ” Dinwiddie said. “He has the utmost confidence in me. I’m a pretty relaxed guy. Whenever I get mad, it’s more with myself. That’s just the way I am. I feel like I can play perfect, so when I don’t I get mad.”
“To me, it looked like he was just so relaxed today,” Beyer said. “I’m just watching him play and he just kind of let the game come to him. He made really good decisions early and it just carried over for the time he was out on the floor.”
The Pistons will leave Orlando feeling pretty good not only about taking Johnson with the No. 8 pick, but grabbing Hilliard at 38. He finished with 14 points, five boards and three steals, converting two mid-court thefts into baskets.
“He’s a really smooth player,” Dinwiddie said. “His game has a great pace to it. He’s really patient and it’s been really effective for him. That will continue because if you have a high basketball IQ, you’ll be able to find your way in the league.”