Stanley Johnson Is the Answer to Oklahoma City Thunder's Small Forward Problem
The Oklahoma City Thunder lack a legitimate backup small forward to superstar Kevin Durant and have very few players who can make an impact at both ends of the court. That's why the team should move up to select Arizona's Stanley Johnson, a do-it-all player with a good chance at being one of the stars of the 2015 NBA draft.
Durant's surgically repaired right foot limited him to just 27 games this season, and his absence left the Thunder with some underwhelming alternatives. Perry Jones, Anthony Morrow, Dion Waiters, Andre Roberson and Kyle Singler all got a crack at playing the 3, but all of those options were lacking on offense, defense or both.
| Name | Off. Rating | Def. Rating | Net Rating |
| Durant | 106.7 | 99.5 | +7.2 |
| Waiters | 106.4 | 103.5 | +3.0 |
| Morrow | 106.4 | 102.1 | +4.4 |
| Singler | 106.9 | 110.9 | -4.0 |
| Jones | 98.1 | 107.5 | -9.4 |
| Roberson | 105.1 | 100.1 | +5.1 |
Meanwhile, the always-confident Johnson left the NBA draft combine believing OKC is pretty fond of him, per Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
"I think they think I’m the best two-way player in the draft, and that’s appealing to them, as it is to most people. They really like me. They’ve been watching me since I was in high school,” Johnson said. “I remember seeing their scout all the time at my practices when I was at Arizona, and they know a lot about me. Obviously I got coached under Billy Donovan already (at FIBA U-18s) so he knows a lot about me as well, which makes everything easy. So I think they’re very familiar with who I am and what I do.
"
At 6'7" and 242 pounds with a 6'11.5" wingspan, per DraftExpress, Johnson is a powerhouse with the physical tools to be a disruptive perimeter defender. He also showed off his offensive skills at Arizona, leading the Wildcats in scoring with 13.8 points per game and draining 37.1 percent of his attempts from downtown, per Sports-Reference.
To bring Johnson to OKC, the Thunder will need to move up five to seven spots from where the team sits currently at No. 14. Based on Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman's recent mock draft below, the run on small forwards could start with the Denver Nuggets at No. 7, with Duke's Justise Winslow expected to be the first one off the board and either Johnson or Croatia's Mario Hezonja being taken soon after.
The Thunder haven't spent much time in the lottery in recent years and will be hard-pressed to find a player with Johnson's all-around potential at No. 14. With KD's pending free agency increasing the need to immediately contend for a championship, this would be a good opportunity for general manager Sam Presti to swing for the fence and make the most of a rare high draft spot.
Why the Thunder Need Johnson
According to HoopsStats.com, the Thunder received 19.7 points per game from the small forward position this season, which was 11th-best in the NBA. Obviously, Durant's nightly clip of 25.4 points played a huge role in that number.
Meanwhile, the club's five main alternatives combined to score 34.8 points per contest, with Waiters (12.7) and Morrow (10.7) leading the way. That means, on average, the Thunder got just under seven points per game from its chief backups on the wing. If Durant and his surgically repaired foot are going to hold up next season, the Thunder are going to need someone—not a committee—who can provide quality relief.
The lack of scoring production isn't the only concern. With the exception of Morrow, who converted 43.4 percent of his threes, the second unit is lacking in the outside shooting department. Singler knocked down 37 percent from behind the arc, but he also only took 54 treys in 26 games. The other three all shot under 32 percent.
Singler is also a restricted free agent this summer, and while Presti is hopeful the Duke forward will return, his 3.7 points per game in a Thunder uniform doesn't exactly inspire excitement.
Lastly, there's the issue of the Thunder's perimeter defense, or lack thereof. While Roberson allowed a respectable 104 points per 100 possessions and held opponents to 39.8 percent shooting, the team's reserves weren't nearly as stout.
Four of the team's nine worst defensive ratings came from Waiters, Jones, Singler and Morrow, according to Basketball-Reference, while three of the remaining five (Sebastian Telfair, Lance Thomas, Reggie Jackson) weren't on the roster after mid-February.
Center Enes Kanter, a man not known for being a stopper, managed to notch a defensive rating of 106 during his time in OKC, which was better than any of KD's caddies.
If the Thunder could find a way to combine Roberson's defensive chops, Morrow's shooting stroke, PJ3's long arms and Waiters' athleticism into one person, they'd end up with a fine backup small forward.
Of course, if they did that, they'd end up with someone who closely resembles Stanley Johnson.
What Johnson Brings to the Table
While the 19-year-old Johnson checks many boxes, he believes one of his best attributes is positional versatility, per Mayberry.
"I think that's one of my traits. I can move all over the court. I'm comfortable at four positions on the court. The way the league is going, you’ve got 6-2 players playing the 2, you’ve got 6-6 players playing the 4. It’s about who you can guard. I’m a big, strong kid that can move his feet. So I can go from the 1 to the 4 pretty smoothly and do it pretty well.
"
In his lone season at Arizona, Johnson allowed just 87.6 points per 100 possessions, second only to Oregon State's Gary Payton II in the Pac-12. His 2.9 defensive win shares ranked fourth in the conference, per Sports-Reference.
The clip below, via the Sporting News' Scott Rafferty, puts some of Johnson's best defensive work on display. The top highlight comes at the 51-second mark, where he does his best Richard Sherman impression and gets up to snatch an ill-advised long pass before attempting to go coast-to-coast.
Stan the Man is confident he could contribute in a variety of ways on the offensive end, as well, per Mayberry: "I can score from all three levels pretty well. I can be a primary ball-handler in the pick-and-roll or any two-man game situation."
Johnson clearly has faith in his talents, but what do the experts think about him? Here's what Wasserman, who has Johnson ranked eighth in his latest Top 50, had to say about the kid:
"I'm not fully convinced that Johnson can't become the top wing from this class. There really isn't much to question, from his terrific defensive tools (6'7", 242 pounds, 6'11½" wingspan) to his above-average athleticism, promising shooting stroke (43 threes made) and developing in-between game (49 percent on pull-up jumpers, per DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony).
He isn't the most explosive player around the rim, but neither was Paul Pierce or Ron Artest—two highly successful small forwards he resembles.
I'd peg Johnson as a steal if any team grabs him outside the top eight.
"
A comparison to The Truth or Metta World Peace is pretty high praise. Wasserman also evoked Kawhi Leonard's name in association with Johnson's back in December. With that kind of potential ceiling, why shouldn't Presti do whatever he can to get Johnson into a Thunder uniform?
With four shooting guards already on the roster, is Waiters—for whom the team traded less than one full season ago and is seemingly committed to developing—worth sacrificing in a deal if it means getting the potential steal of the draft? As underrated of a defender as Roberson has become, wouldn't it be better to have someone like Johnson, who can contribute more on offense?
The best-case scenario is Johnson becomes a two-way presence in the starting lineup alongside Durant and Russell Westbrook. The worst is he becomes a solid backup for KD and possibly inherits his spot in the rotation if the four-time scoring champion opts to leave OKC next summer.
Stanley Johnson and the Oklahoma City Thunder seem like the perfect marriage of needs and talent. For years, the Thunder have managed to attain a high level of success with no backup plan for Kevin Durant.
Now, Durant is coming off the first injury-plagued season of his career and the Thunder are in position to find him a suitable caddy via the draft. While bringing Johnson to town will require giving up a few assets, the chance to add potentially the final piece to OKC's championship puzzle makes it worth the risk.
All NBA stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com, while collegiate stats are via Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
