Stanley Johnson Is Poised to Become This NBA Season's Surprise Rookie

Even at No. 8 overall, Detroit Pistons rookie Stanley Johnson had been undervalued throughout the NBA draft process. 

He was never quite viewed as one of the ultimate prizes or must-have prospects. Those labels were handed out to Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor. Johnson, who led Arizona to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, saw less-accomplished players like Kristaps Porzingis (11 points per game for Sevilla), Mario Hezonja (5.9 points per game for Barcelona) and Emmanuel Mudiay (12 total games in China) get taken before him.

Following an eye-opening performance in summer league, it now looks like the Pistons landed one of the draft's best bets. And though success in July isn't always indicative of future success in the NBA, Johnson's five-game run in Orlando was simply too convincing to ignore.

Fernando Medina/Getty Images

He aced the eye test. You got the impression Johnson was a pro among amateurs, as well as a player Detroit could immediately use on its underwhelming wing. 

"Going into Summer League, I was sort of, 'Well, we'll wait and see in terms of his readiness right away,'" Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy told NBA.com's Keith Langlois. "But coming out of Summer League, yeah, I have a pretty good confidence that certainly at some point in the year he's a guy who's going to be able to play significant minutes at significant times."

Johnson's sales pitch ultimately starts with his body and strength for the small forward position. While the physical transition is often a big challenge for one-and-done freshmen, it doesn't appear like it's going to bother Johnson, whose diesel 245-pound frame already stands out among projected starting wings. 

Shooting Guard/Small Forwards	Weight (lbs)	Height
P.J. Tucker	260	6'6"
LeBron James	250	6'8"
Stanley Johnson	245	6'7"
Joe Johnson	240	6'7"
Carmelo Anthony	240	6'8"
Kevin Durant	240	6'9"
Tobias Harris	235	6'9"
Paul Pierce	235	6'7"
Jeff Green	235	6'9"
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	232	6'7"

We were reminded of Johnson's tremendous power throughout summer league, whether he was attacking:

Going up strong:

Or defending:  

At this stage, Johnson's set of physical tools represent his signature asset. However, no aspect of his game is more overlooked than his in-between scoring repertoire, which continues to develop and consequently raise his ceiling.

Scoring Off the Dribble

As DraftExpress' Mike Schmitz points out, Johnson wasn't given much room to operate at Arizona. He played alongside T.J. McConnell, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski—non-shooters who combined to make just 43 threes at a 30 percent clip. 

Poor spacing didn't stop Johnson from averaging 19.4 points per 40 minutes. Credit his ability to handle the ball and make different shots in tight windows. 

Though he inexplicably struggled finishing at the rim, Johnson doesn't need to get there to generate offense. 

He can create and score off the dribble, not just with drives, but with pull-up jumpers—he made 49 percent of them in the half court at Arizona, per Schmitz—step-backs and floaters. These are must-have shots in the arsenal, given the NBA's rim protection and length inside. 

Take a look at how efficient Johnson was in the mid-range at Arizona, via ShotAnalytics.com:

Shotanalytics.com

He put on a scoring clinic in summer league, where he was consistently beating defenses out of different sets and situations, from ball screens and hard closeouts to isolation and transition. 

Bob Beyer, who coached Johnson in summer league, even put together a package of plays for him to operate high pick-and-rolls, which highlights his much-improved playmaking skills.

While Johnson used to rely heavily on muscle and strength, he's added significant polish to his offensive attack. And it should go a long way toward his rookie performance and long-term growth as a scorer. 

Three-Position Versatility 

John Raoux/Associated Press

Thanks to his versatility—along with Detroit's lack of wing depth—Johnson should be looking at serious minutes as a rookie. He'll see plenty of time at small forward, where he can play without the ball as a long-range spot-up target. Johnson shot 41.7 percent from three in summer league after averaging a terrific 1.3 points per play on catch-and-shoot opportunities at Arizona, per Schmitz.

However, his expanded off-the-dribble game should allow him to also play some shooting guard. Van Gundy recently mentioned that as a possibility to Grantland's Zach Lowe.

Johnson's size and strength may even work in a small-ball 4 role similar to the one Draymond Green plays in Golden State. 

"I have a lot of learning to do in making those checks darker, bolder and getting better at a lot of different things, but I can be very versatile on the court," Johnson told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

"Like I was preaching before the draft started, I can play one through four positions. I can do a lot of the things on the court."

Johnson's versatility goes both ways. With great quickness for the perimeter and the bulk to bang down low, he projects as a plus defender capable of guarding 2s, 3s and hybrid 4s. The Ron Artest comparisons he's drawn in the past are tied to his physicality and energy on defense. 

Impact Rookie with Upside

Willie J. Allen Jr./Associated Press

Johnson has the chance to upgrade the Pistons' rotation from opening night.

Despite a low release, he sports a confident stroke that has grown more accurate every year. Defenses won't be able to leave him open or go under screens. Meanwhile, the Pistons should immediately value Johnson's half-court scoring ability as well, given the lack of firepower offered by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Marcus Morris. 

But at 19 years old, he also packs a ton of upside as a potential two-way weapon at multiple positions. 

It's tough to call Johnson a steal without knowing how good Porzingis, Hezonja and Mudiay will become. But it certainly looks like the Pistons should get the most bang for their buck.

Johnson may ultimately give Detroit the best of both worlds—an impact rookie and future NBA All-Star.