Leo Papile Very Excited About JJ and Celtics Core

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

Leo is an enthused man. But would he feel better, if he had Tyson
Chandler, who he said, was like a young Jabbar and the best player
in the draft?  Or how about Adonal Foyle, of whom Leo said, he didn't
see much difference between Tim Duncan and him? Perhaps not,
because the Celtics have Kedrick Brown, who Leo says is going
to be a Vince Carter/Tracey McGrady type of player, and of
course Johnson, the subject of this story, whom Leo would have
drafted with a top three pick.....

http://www.masslive.com/sports/unionnews/index.ssf?/sports/pstories/sp814cel.html

Johnson: Celtics' pick looks sharp

Tuesday, August 14, 2001
By JEFF THOMAS


BOSTON      Joe Johnson has a rather ordinary name, but the Boston
Celtics believe they have an extraordinary rookie on their hands.

The Little Rock, Ark., native was the first of three first-round draft
picks by the Celtics back in June, the 10th pick overall. But as
director of player personnel Leo Papile tells it, the swingman could
have even been the top pick.

"I felt before the draft that Joe was one of the three best players in
the draft and if we were picking one, two or three, I guarantee you we
would have picked him," Papile said.

Considering that Johnson isn't a 7-footer and wasn't a big name coming
out of Arkansas after two years, that's a strong statement.

But the 6-foot-7 Johnson has already won over the Celtics and judging by
the fans and their reaction to his play during the Shaw's Pro Summer
League, he appears to be well on his way to fitting into the Boston
scene.

"I thought I played pretty good," Johnson said of his play in the
week-long session of games among 10 NBA teams at the University of
Massachusetts-Boston. "As far as my defense, that's something I think I
have to work on."

He was easily the best player on the floor for the Celtics, who were
4-2. Johnson led the team in scoring with a 15 points per game average.
He was tied for the team lead in rebounds (6.7), was first in steals
(11) and minutes (213) and second in assists (20).

Not that playing against other rookies and free agents means he's ready
to face veteran NBA talent, but at the very least Johnson showed strong
potential in most aspects of the game.

"Joe Johnson is our MVP candidate for the (summer) league and I think
he's the best player in the (summer) league," Papile said. "For a kid
who just turned 20, that's quite an achievement."

Johnson's stats for the summer league were made more impressive by the
fact that he accomplished them with an economy of shots. He made 45
percent of his field goals and 50 percent of his 3-pointers. He was also
a 91 percent foul shooter.

All those numbers will translate into playing time for the former
Razorback when the NBA seasons begins in the fall.

"Our coaching staff is pretty excited about him and he's on his way to
getting some minutes," Papile said. "The thing that's most attractive
about Joe is his versatility.

"The so-called draft experts weren't thrilled because his numbers
weren't big," Papile said. "One of the things he's able to do is when he
gets a defensive rebound, he's able to put the ball down and start the
break.

"For a big guy, that's rare."

Papile and the rest of the Celtics staff were well aware of what Johnson
could do, from his range to his rebounding to his ability to handle the
basketball. The summer league just showed other teams what they missed
out on.

"I thought that Joe Johnson was a surprise at 10 and he showed that this
week," Celtics coach Jim O'Brien said.

With the addition of Johnson, Kedrick Brown (20) and Joseph Forte (20)
to go along with Paul Pierce (23) and Antoine Walker (24) , Papile said
he believes the Celtics have a core of young players who can carry the
team for many years to come.

"There's a feeling that this thing could be good for a long time,"
Papile said. "I don't see any reason to see otherwise."