Joe Johnson

["j.hironaka" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

JOE JOHNSON
6-8 225 pounds
DOB: June 29, 1981

Leo Papile:``In no particular order, the three players I had rated as the 
best in the draft were Gasol, Kedrick Brown and Joe Johnson,'' said Papile. 
``And if Rodney White was there, hey, some people had him rated as the best 
player out there. But it broke just like we wanted it to. For two weeks 
I've been sweating out Joe Johnson.''

Papile and the Celts began breathing a little easier sometime yesterday 
afternoon when word filtered to the team's headquarters that DeSagana Diop 
was bound for Cleveland at No. 8. That meant that either Johnson or White 
would be joining Brown in the 10-11 couplet. ``History and time will tell 
us that we did a lot to write the script when it comes down to it,'' said 
Papile, smiling again.

Chris Wallace: "Joe has tremendous versatility and ball-handling skills," 
said Wallace. "He's unselfish. He shoots the deep ball. He'll be able to 
make plays for other players as well as himself. And he's got that very 
important attribute that you have to have in the NBA, in that you have to 
be able to create off the dribble."

''We don't really get hung up about what's going to happen this year,'' 
said Wallace. ''We'd love to be right in November to being the season like 
we were with Paul Pierce in '98, but the most important thing is three 
years from now. We think these type of players are definitely ones that 
will make us very right with this decision in three years. Hopefully, they 
can deliver some stuff in the short term.

''But again, we're just happy to bring out two scorers who are character 
guys. I don't think there's any problems with these players. They love to 
play. Two guys with this type of athletic ability on the team, we're very, 
very happy. I can't stress how happy we are tonight to be able to get these 
guys.''

''But again, we're just happy to bring out two scorers who are character 
guys. I don't think there's any problems with these players. They love to 
play. Two guys with this type of athletic ability on the team - we're very, 
very happy. I can't stress how happy we are tonight to be able to get these 
guys.''

Jim O'Brien: ''A couple weeks ago, we had Joe Johnson in and I had seen him 
twice out in LA work out, and we also had him here and watched volumes of 
tape. We came off the court and I said to Leo [Papile] and Chris [Wallace], 
`It would be a dream come true, if we could get Joe Johnson.' I think he 
has guard skills and we were actually very surprised that he slipped to us. 
Kedrick is a phenomenal athlete.''

''I'm ecstatic about the 10th and 11th pick, Joe Johnson and Kedrick,'' 
said O'Brien. ''I went down my wish from a talent standpoint. I wanted 
3-point shooters that are athletic and can handle the basketball. I think 
people like that are exactly what we needed.

After viewing hours of game tapes and watching Johnson work out in Los 
Angeles and then again in Waltham, O'Brien said he told Wallace and 
director of player personnel Leo Papile that "it would be a dream come 
true" if the Celtics could pick up the 6-foot-6 3/4 guard/small forward, 
described as having ball-handling skills similar to Antoine Walker's.

Joe Johnson:
''[My family] all pictured it would happen like this,'' said Johnson. 
''They wanted me to come to Boston, and not only that, but I did, too, 
because I know what you had and I know what you need and I'm willing to 
bring that. I wasn't disappointed at all [to slide]. This is no lie. I 
wanted to play for Boston. I'm glad it happened this way ... I'm a player 
who gets after it and who's willing to step up to a challenge.''

Following his selection, Johnson received a call from Antoine Walker and 
Paul Pierce, who were both in the Celtics' war room. The trio talked for 
awhile, saying how excited they were to get started. Johnson thought his 
game fit well with the Celtics' needs and he could contribute immediately.
Johnson says he feels he needs to continue to work on his shooting and 
improve his strength, but is ready to contribute. "I think I'm ready right 
away, and I'm looking forward to it, looking forward to getting out with 
these guys and getting things rolling," he said.

Johnson is also an outstanding ballhandler with a killer first step to the 
basket. ``I'm looking forward to getting on the same court as Paul Pierce 
and Antoine Walker,'' said Johnson, who turns 20 tomorrow. ``I feel 
confident I can make a contribution to the Celtics this season.''

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Scouting Reports:
"I like him a lot," said one NBA personnel executive. "He's one of those 
guys who plays a lot harder than it may appear. He has very fluid 
movements, very quick, but very deceptive, too. And if he's not 6-8, he's 
pretty close to it. He has a very, very nice stroke (44 percent on 
three-pointers last season). A very fluid jump shooter, who'll have to 
adjust to the NBA line, but I think he will. He also looks like he might be 
a really good defensive player someday. I think he's gotta be a three 
(small forward), but he has the skills to probably play some two (shooting 
guard). And don't forget this ... fluid. Very."

Prototypical small forward with his combination of forward size and guard 
ability ... Excellent face up scorer ... Range out to three ... Beautiful 
first step ... Smooth, there is no real moment in his acceleration that 
stands out from the rest, so he turns the corner in a deceptive manner ... 
Size obviously is a major benefit as he goes into his finish ... Could add 
more strength to compete more effectively for position on the box ... 
Manages to be effective nevertheless, his footspeed enables him to 
completely beat his defender to the gap ... Contributes on the boards, 
though he is not the rebounder he could be at 6-8. (ESPN)

Scouting Report (TSN)
Defining characteristic: Johnson is the exact type of player the NBA is 
looking for, as he has a forward's body and a guard's game.

Strengths: Skill-wise, there really isn't anything Johnson can't do. He can 
shoot deep, take the ball to the hole, rebound and pass. He has the size to 
shoot over people, but also the quickness to get around them. Johnson is a 
good face-up shooter. He has an excellent first step. A very smooth player. 
He doesn't look for the 3 a lot but did make better than 44 percent of his 
tries from there last season, a very good percentage for someone his size. 
He has a long reach and is a good defender.

Weaknesses: Johnson, for all of his talent, played poorly in the first half 
of last season. He had ankle surgery after his freshman year and he 
appeared to play tentatively. Nolan Richardson said that he thought Johnson 
was more concerned where he would land instead of where the ball was going 
when he shot the ball. Johnson also apparently lost his confidence. Though 
he did play better in the second half of the season, Johnson never 
dominated college basketball like many thought he should have. That leads 
you to think he has a ways to go before he plays at an ultra high level in 
the NBA.

Amateur highlight: Johnson was ineligible for the first semester of his 
freshman season but then fast became one of the nation's most lethal 
players. He became the first freshman to lead the Razorbacks in scoring 
(16.0) and rebounding (5.7) in the same season. His strong debut led to 
forecasts of greatness for Johnson.

NBA comparison: Paul Pierce, Celtics
Johnson isn't as NBA ready as Pierce was when he joined the league, but he 
should eventually be someone who can be a contributor on Pierce's level. 
Both can play small forward or shooting guard and they have a certain 
smoothness and unselfishness to their game.

Outlook: Johnson's stock is on the rise. He has an NBA body and immense 
talent. He's played less than two years of college ball so he is a little 
raw but he also is much more ready to be a big-time player than any of the 
players from the high school crop. Look for a team to fall in love with his 
potential and tab Johnson with a mid- or late-lottery selection. -- Kyle 
Veltrop


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