STANLEY JOHNSON
AGE: 19
NBA EXPERIENCE: 1 season.
BECAME A PISTON: The Pistons used the No. 8 pick in the 2015 NBA draft to pick Stanley Johnson after his freshman season at Arizona.
CAREER MILESTONES: Johnson won California high school state championships all four years while at Santa Ana Mater Dei, making him the first player in state history to win four state titles in the largest division. He also was a three-time gold medalist for USA Basketball in world competition, winning in all three years he competed for the national team in 2011, ’12 and ’14, winning MVP honors and captaining the 2014 team at the FIBA U-18 competition. Johnson was a starter for a 34-4 Arizona team during his only season there, carrying the Wildcats to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, losing in the regional finals to eventual national runner-up Wisconsin. Johnson led Arizona in scoring (13.8) and finished second in rebounding (6.5) to another NBA No. 1 pick, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, despite playing most of his minutes at shooting guard.
CAREER ARC: Johnson quick established himself as Stan Van Gundy’s sixth man after the loss of Jodie Meeks in the season’s second game. Johnson averaged 8.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23 minutes a game as a rookie. Improving his shooting and shot selection, part of an overarching goal of becoming a better decision maker, will be where Johnson likely sees his greatest and most immediate improvement. He finished the season shooting 37.5 percent overall and 30.7 percent from the 3-point line.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: Johnson’s best basketball of the season came in January and February before injuring his shoulder in a critical Feb. 22 win at Cleveland to snap a five-game losing streak. Over 24 games, Johnson averaged 10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 27 minutes a game, his strong play essentially leading Stan Van Gundy to cut his rotation to nine players and give Johnson significant minutes behind both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris. Johnson’s first career double-double came in a Nov. 30 win over Houston in which he finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Over a seven-game span from late January to early February, which included part of a stretch when he started four games while Caldwell-Pope was injured, Johnson averaged 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists. In the playoffs, Johnson averaged 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds and shot 52 percent, hitting 6 of 11 from the 3-point line.
2016-17 ROLE: Barring any unforeseen roster moves involving Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Johnson likely will back up both players again next season. The Pistons fully expect Johnson to come back a more polished player – working on his shooting, ballhandling and footwork – and if he can translate improved skills into the flow of games, he’ll likely see his minutes creep up 20 percent or more. That will be essential to his progress. Johnson’s defensive potential is very high. He was better on the ball as a rookie and will need to show improved awareness when defending off the ball to become the truly elite defender the Pistons believe he will. As he improves his ballhandling and decision making, Johnson – who possesses good vision and is a willing passer – figures to become a potent pick-and-roll option, too.
CONTRACT STATUS: Johnson still has three years remaining on his rookie deal, running through the 2018-19 season, with the Pistons capable of holding team control through the 2019-20 season.