2019 Prospect Profile

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If Cameron Johnson finds a role in the NBA, it's because he can shoot lights out.

36 games, 36 starts, 29.9 MPG, 16.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.2 SPG, 50.6 FG%, 45.7 3P%, 81.8 FT%

Johnson projects to be a late first-round pick. 

The more I watch Cameron Johnson, the more I think I’ll be watching him play rotational minutes for a team next winter. 

Johnson can flat-out shoot, hitting nearly 46 percent of his 3-point shots last season. That’s absurd. 

That’s his bread and butter, and if he does find a role on an NBA team, his shooting will be why.

He has good size and is plenty mature. The fact that he’s 23 can be a knock on him and his potential, but it also points to a player who is mentally strong and will take on whatever role is thrown his way at the NBA level.

He considers his age as a positive throughout this process.

“I’ve been around and got a little bit of experience under my belt,” Johnson said at the NBA Combine in Chicago. “I don’t think I’ve peaked by any means. I have room for growth. I think I can make it work in my favor.”

He has good footwork, and more than not, he’ll make the right basketball play.

So, why is Johnson projected to be a back-end of the first-round pick?

While he is 6’8, you’re not going to see him inside banging with the bigs. He’s mostly a stretch 4. Offensively, he will run the court, but he’s not going to beat anyone off the dribble. His best fit is with a team with playmakers who can get it to Johnson when his man helps. 

Defensively, effort isn’t a problem and he hustles. But there are plenty of matchups that he’ll need help with, including a forward with the ability to drive and a forward with above-average post moves.

I was super-impressed with Johnson at the NBA Combine. He’s well spoken, and will be liked by his coaches and his teammates. Johnson can succeed at the next level, but team fit will be huge. He’s not a player who can create offensive, but if he’s on a team with athletes who can get to the paint, he could be dangerous.

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Cam Johnson Has The Shooting And The Smarts For The NBA

Grant Williams might not be a star, but his blend of strength, intelligence and defensive awareness will endear him to many NBA teams for years to come. 

37 games, 31.9 MPG, 18.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 56.4 FG%, 32.6 3P%, 81.9 FT%

There are a lot of teams who could use a player like Williams. A hard-nosed, defensive-minded forward with a great understanding of the game and great instincts will always have a place in the NBA.

Williams is one of those “does all the little things” guys. He plays extremely hard, sets great screens and has the potential to really lock guys down on the defensive end. Though he wasn’t a great three-point shooter in college, it’s more of a range issue than a form one—and that can be fixed. He shot well from the field overall and he’s a productive free-throw shooter. That tends to bode well. He didn’t shoot well at the combine, but he said he wasn’t too concerned about it. 

“I think I’ve shown my competitive attitude,” he said. “I didn’t shoot the ball well today, but it happens. Can’t really focus much on it, just have to go to the next day, but for myself it was just about showing on the defensive end that I can guard and also showing that mentality of doing whatever it takes—screening, rebounding, whatever.”

Williams is probably a power forward in the NBA, and though he’s slightly undersized for that position, with the trend towards smaller lineups and Williams’ strength, he should be able to hold his own. He’s also a great team defender who will commit wholeheartedly to schemes and do what coaches ask of him. He’s also a great rebounder and strong enough to box out bigger guys, so there shouldn’t be any issues on that front.

“A competitive mindset, a person that’s going to do whatever it takes to win, a person that brings value as a teammate and also whatever a coach asks me to do, I’ll do,” said Williams at the combing when asked to describe what he brings to a team.

The questions about Williams are not really centered on his ability to play a role in the NBA, but on his ceiling. While he could be a glue guy for many years, he doesn’t have the elite explosiveness that many teams value so highly and he probably won’t become a go-to scorer. He isn’t great at getting his own shot, and his three-point shooting needs a bit of work.

That being said, at some point in the draft it becomes valuable to draft a player you know can be trusted to play NBA minutes—Williams is certainly that. He won’t make stupid mistakes and he has the strength and size to play right away. He’s also a great worker and was a great culture guy at Tennessee where he led the team and facilitated a lot of the offense despite being a post player. Williams will have a long career.

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Grant Williams Has A Long Career Ahead Of Him

Brandon Clarke is an interesting prospect, who could be the ultimate glue guy for whatever team drafts him.

37 games, 36 starts, 28.1 MPG, 16.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 3.2 BPG, 68.7 FG%, 26.7 3P%, 69.4 FT%

Clarke is projected to be a lottery pick.

If you’re a Wolves fan and you pay attention to the NBA Draft, chances are you’ve heard Brandon Clarke’s name more than a few times.

This is a very athletic forward type, who can jump out of the gym. His 40.5 vertical leap ranked fourth at the NBA Combine and if you watch film of him, he puts it to very good use.

The knocks on Clarke: He’s 23 years old and his wingspan measurement was a bit alarming at the Combine.

The defense for that is that at 23 years old, Clarke projects as a player who can come in and play right away. He’s extremely mature and well spoken. At the Combine, he won my “personality award” which is a made-up award that goes to the player who is the most impressive with the media. I think that’s important.

As far as his wingspan goes, the fact that Clarke was able to be effective throughout his career and managed to block 3.2 shots per game says something. We’ve seen him play and his wingspan has yet to be a problem. He can make up for it with his athleticism.

This is an effort player on both ends, which is a good thing. He combines his skillset and his passion for the game and it works. 

He needs to work on his jumper, and he knows it. He shot nearly 70 percent from the field last season, but almost all of those were at the rim. He’ll need to show in the NBA he’s at least a threat from the midrange, and hopefully eventually at the 3-point line. 

“Every team isn’t sure I can shoot it really, that’s my biggest question mark,” Clarke said at the NBA Combine in Chicago. “I've been working really, really hard on it, so I’m just hoping they can see that I can actually shoot it and they can see that I made lots of progress on it and they can trust me that I can get better at it.”

He showed teams that he has been working on his shot, connecting on 80-percent of shots from 15 feet at the Combine. That’s a start. It will be all about how he performs in private team workouts.

Clarke has the athleticism to guard multiple positions, including out on the perimeter, at the next level. Offensively, he’s a smart and willing passer, and has a nasty spin move.

We always want these players in the draft to have All-Star upside. Maybe Clarke doesn’t have that. But he’s a player who I think can play right away and will make winning plays on both sides of the ball.  

He’ll also be a good teammate and we’re not going to question his effort. I think there’s something to be said for that.  

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Don't Be Surprised If Brandon Clarke Contributes Right Away In The NBA

This piece does not reflect the views of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

27 games, 19.0 MPG, 7.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 48.2 FG%, 34.3 3P%, 79.3 FT%

If there’s a “boom or bust” prospect in this draft, it’s Doumbouya. He’s a smooth, agile athlete with great size and strength. He has elite athletic potential to play above the rim on both ends of the floor and could turn into an impactful multi-position matchup nightmare.

The issue is that Doumbouya is extremely raw. He essentially needs a team to teach him how to play the game at a high level. He’s not only an athlete—he has good footwork and the bones of what could be a good jumper—but he’s a long way from being ready to play regular minutes in the NBA. 

It’s easy with project prospects like Doumbouya to get caught up in assuming that time is the only thing standing between them and greatness. While in ideal world that’s true, in reality teams not only have to gauge how long they think it will take prospects like Doumbouya to be playable, but whether they think they’ll be able to get there at all. 

In Doumbouya’s case, there’s certainly reason for positivity. His free-throw accuracy demonstrates the bones of a good jump shot and he moves around the court better than a few previous examples of extremely raw but enticing prospects. In addition, his rebounding ability and transition skills might be able to keep him on the court while he works on his growing jumper and takes advantage of his defensive upside. 

Getting Doumbouya comfortable playing primarily as a lob threat and cutter might be the best use of his skills right away. He’ll be able to finish over NBA athletes and his foot speed will allow him to get the jump on slower defenders. This type of a role minimizes Doumbouya’s main weaknesses—dribbling and decision-making. 

Doumbouya is not a pick without risk, but the potential is sky-high. In a draft lacking a ton of high-upside players he’s certainly worth a lottery flier.

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Sekou Doumbouya Is The Draft’s Most Intriguing Project

SG/SF, Freshman, Iowa State6’4, 235 pounds

35 games, 34 starts, 27.2 MPG, 11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 40.6 FG%, 30.8 3P%, 62.5 FT%

Horton-Tucker is considering a late-first or early-second-round pick.

Talen Horton-Tucker will be 18 when the 2019-20 NBA season starts. That’s wild, and also will help tell the story of where and when he gets drafted. Team fit will be huge for him. 

He has a lot of good things going for him, despite his somewhat odd body for the NBA level. 

Horton-Tucker has a great feel for the game offensively, even if he isn’t the most-athletic guy. He isn’t an above-the-rim player but is crafty at the rim. You’d like to see him replace some of his weight with muscle.

He’s good in space and is an OK spot-up shooter, despite somewhat of a funky shot.

The shooting percentages are a cause for concern. Some of that has to do with poor shot selection, but his free-throw percentages point to perhaps a bigger problem. It’s hard to be a physical player offensively if you can’t hit your free throws.

He’s a good passer and shows some good guard skills, although he needs to tighten his handle and improve his decision making offensively. It will help at the NBA level where he’ll have a singular role. At Iowa State, he was asked to do a lot.

“I feel like you know, just showing everyone the guard I am,” Horton-Tucker said about what he wants to prove to teams at the NBA Combine. “I play a lot of positions at Iowa State this year and that was a great thing, I got to experience that. Just showing my overall guard skills.”

There’s plenty of untapped strength with Horton-Tucker and that will help him in certain situations, but he’s not all that quick or athletic and that could cause him to be a liability defensively. A lot of that looks like a lack-of-interest issue, too.

There is plenty of intrigue, and also plenty of red flags with Horton-Tucker. But what he has on his side more than anything is his youth. He’ll be able to work with NBA-level development coaches, and the G League could be a huge opportunity for him to grow. 

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Time Is On Talen Horton-Tucker's Side

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