Dakari Johnson: The Real Winner Of The Gatorade League Offseason
With NBA free agency at its peak and summer moves thriving, it’s easy to miss stories from the G-League community — particularly the one involving Dakari Johnson.
If you have read any of my previous work, it should be no surprise that I am a huge advocate for the hard work and extreme talents of Dakari Johnson. The 7-foot, 21-year-old out of Kentucky became a rising star in the former famed D-League and has earned himself a spot on one of the most prominent teams in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While most pundits could have called this happening long before this offseason (maybe even as far back as midway through the past season), there’s absolutely no doubt that Dakari Johnson has earned his two-year guaranteed contract.
Johnson poses as only one of the many offseason moves that general manager Sam Presti has made, along with the addition of Paul George, re-signing of Andre Roberson and signings of Raymond Felton and Patrick Patterson. Though OKC’s front office has been at work day and night making sure the coming season will be one to remember, don’t let their biggest moves overshadow how great of a signing Dakari Johnson is.
To put it simply, this kid can ball. During the 2016–2017 regular season, Johnson started all 49 games he participated in, playing 29 minutes per game and averaging 18.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks. What’s even more impressive from his already boast-worthy stats is his incredible second season, which was his clutch factor during the Blue’s playoff run. The Blue were already in talks as being one of the most likely contenders for the championship, but Johnson’s gameplay defended the claims. With less than one additional minute per game than the regular season, Johnson showed his clutch factor, scoring 24.8 points and grabbing 10 rebounds per game.
From the eyes of a general manager like Presti, those stats are no doubt hard to come by, especially when they come from a 21-year-old center with only two years of college experience. When a GM sees someone with this much talent, he has to act quickly.
It’s no secret the Thunder’s secondary lineup struggled horrendously when Westbrook stepped off the court last season. (Oladipo played point while OKC attempted to keep the younger guys in check, so Westbrook could catch his breath.) One of the weaker links in that younger team was Enes Kanter. No one doubted Kanter’s ability to score double digit points and snatch a ridiculous amount of rebounds in a limited amount of minutes. But, what was cringe-worthy was watching how heavily Kanter struggled on offense when it came down to minutes that mattered.
Johnson’s build makes him a prime candidate for a secondary center. At seven feet and nearly 260 pounds, Johnson has shown time and time again that challenging him down low will result in an unfortunate ending. His stature is built for aggressive, post-up offense and defense, with a wingspan capable of snatching any loose ball in sight.
If the situation arises where Kanter remains in OKC, Kanter is more than capable of playing forward. We’ve seen how proficient Adams and Kanter are together when playing down low, so one can only imagine how terrifying a secondary squad would be with Johnson and Kanter making plays in shallow waters.
It should also be noted that Johnson’s defensive capabilities have improved greatly over his G-League time. From day one, they were always his goal. Coming out of Kentucky, Johnson knew his pick-and-roll coverages were flawed, as well as knowing his zones and efficiently communicating with teammates on defense. Since we can only imagine how he’ll fit into Billy Donovan’s experimental, college-like lineups, its hard to fabricate a situation where Johnson doesn’t succeed in Oklahoma City.
