AJ

Johnson

The rookie has barely seen the floor this year, so his absence won’t impact the team’s rotation.

Milwaukee didn’t play most of their starters in this game, which allowed young guys like Johnson to play big minutes. However, he didn’t fully take advantage of the opportunity. The good part was that he dished out eight assists, which is nice to see for such a young player going up against a team that made the NBA Finals last year. The bad part was that he didn’t score and missed all 11 of his shot attempts. Johnson still has plenty of upside, but he likely won’t contribute much during his rookie year.

Johnson, the 23rd overall pick in last month’s draft, served as Milwaukee’s starting point guard on Saturday afternoon. He didn’t have a great day shooting the basketball, going 2-of-9 from beyond the arc, but the 19-year-old guard displayed some of the on-ball athleticism that made him a first-round pick. He’s more of a project at this stage, especially with the Bucks being able to rely on Damian Lillard at the point, so Johnson will be a better option in dynasty leagues than redrafts.

Having initially committed to play at Texas, Johnson ultimately decided to head to Australia for the 2023-24 season. As part of the NBL’s Next Stars program, he appeared in 26 games for the Illawarra Hawks and averaged 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in just under eight minutes. The 6-foot-4, 167-pound Johnson has some room to fill out physically, and he can be used either on or off the ball. He’s an incredibly raw prospect, so it will take some time before he’s on anybody’s radar in fantasy. Doc Rivers didn’t use many young guys after he took over last season, which doesn’t bode well for Johnson getting development minutes. However, if he pans out, he has the upside to be a really fun player on both ends of the floor.