2011 NBA Draft: Boston Celtics In Between with Choice of Purdue's JaJuan Johnson
In today's NBA, 6'10" 220-pounders are tweeners—small forwards with power forward height, if not necessarily power forward girth.
JaJuan Johnson, a senior out of Purdue who was the Boston Celtics' first-round selection in last Thursday's NBA draft by way of a trade with the New Jersey Nets, is exactly that size, but is expected to be groomed by the Green to be a center.
Um, OK.
In the year-plus since they were roughly seven minutes from their 18th NBA championship, and the four-plus months since they were 41-14 and the most feared team in the league, the Celtics have transformed themselves into the Boston team furthest from a title.
Certainly, choosing 25th overall in a draft almost universally considered one of the weakest in years, it wasn't expected that the C's would wind up with anyone who could come in and contribute right away.
And it's likely that coach Doc Rivers—who admitted to ESPN Boston that even he wasn't sure what to expect out of Johnson, saying, "He may be (able to make an immediate impact). We don't know. I think he'll be an NBA player and a good one. It may take him some time and it may not"—isn't expecting him to do so.
But why take a guy who is at least 30 pounds too light to be able to live five minutes in the paint without getting beaten to a pulp as a possible solution, especially when he's "still developing a low-post game," and whose "basketball IQ seems to be an issue," according to one scouting report?
The Celtics already have a tall, wiry big man whose game is far less predicated on the low block than it used to be and who has primarily become a jump-shooter (in case you haven't heard of him, his name is Kevin Garnett).
Why not just stick with the guy they drafted for Jersey at No. 25, Providence guard Marshon Brooks? The Friars standout averaged 25 points per game last season and could serve as instant offense off the bench in 2011-12 (assuming there's a season), an issue that plagued the C's as last year wore on and Glen Davis slowly went insane.
Naturally, the draft is an inexact science, and Brooks may lose his scoring touch the minute he dons an NBA uniform and sees some actual defense as opposed to what he experienced in the Big East as a collegiate player. And maybe Johnson will flourish learning NBA rebounding, toughness and savvy next to Garnett, areas of the game in which the future Hall-of-Famer excels.
But given all of the Celtics' current needs (bench scoring, a consistent backup point guard, size and strength up front), it seems a tall, skinny guy with no discernible NBA position may not have been the best choice, even if he was the "best player on the board."
Johnson played four years at Purdue and has been lauded for his experience. But that's college experience; he's no more ready for the NBA than No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving, who played all of 11 college games.
Unlike the NFL, in which at least a couple of years must pass before any true, informed judgments may be made on a particular team's draft, an NBA draft picture can be taken a lot sooner.
The Celtics will be reminded of that fact in the not too distant future, and right now it's hard to imagine them feeling too great about what's looking back at them.
