The Kobe Johnson Report
The Kobe Johnson Report
Junior Kobe Johnson is a 6’6, 200-lb wing with promising two-way talent. With a stacked recruiting class, all eyes will be on USC this season. He was already impressive last season, but this year he’ll have the chance to build on his achievements in front of a much bigger stage.
Offense:
Kobe Johnson averaged 9.2/5.0/2.6 and 2.6 stocks on 59.2% TS, and 53.9% eFG. He was an efficient and productive role player for the minutes and shot attempts available. Johnson posted a season-high against Washington, scoring 21 points on 5-7 fg and 9-9 ft. Watching the Washington game alone, the off-ball versatility from Johnson is undeniable. The entire floor is his canvas, discovering pockets in the defense to exploit and create simple offense. Whether it’s cutting to the basket, relocating for an open three, or running to the ball to alleviate pressure from a teammate, Johnson’s capable.
Offensively, Johnson is an off-the-catch creator. Over 70% of his shot diet derives from shots at the rim or threes off-the-catch. He shot 38.4% 3pt on 2.2 attempts on off-the-catch threes, and 62.8% on layups in the halfcourt. He has good touch on his floaters, and works his way around through contact downhill fairly well. He struggles with some angles along the baseline, and lacks the power to consistently finish through bigs in the restricted area, but is largely efficient nonetheless.
One of Johnson’s best qualities is his hustle factor. He has a knack for creating second chance opportunities for his team, and in a setting like the NCAA, possessions are more valuable than ever. His motor and effort is on a level that’s difficult to teach. It’s an intangible quality, a form of leadership that every NBA team values.
While the current stage of Johnson’s scoring creation is adequate, what makes Johnson so intriguing is his playmaking and projection as an on-ball scorer. Johnson had his fair share of on-ball reps, mainly PnR. The production was disappointing, putting up 0.607 PPP (points per possession) as the PnR ball-handler. He was a poor off-the-dribble shooter, converting a dismal 1-13 (7.7%) 3pt and 3-9 (33.3%) 2pt. Even going back to his previous seasons, Johnson has never been a strong, or at the very least average otd shooter. His high center of gravity and lack of burst means Johnson fails to develop any material advantage creation on-ball. He’s still relatively successful downhill, but it’s likely Johnson never establishes a reliable jumper as a ball-handler. Despite these issues, what makes folks optimistic about his on-ball development is his passing and playmaking talent. As a connector, Johnson’s responsible for identifying where the advantage is, and getting the ball to that spot in a quick yet effective manner. Johnson can make it as flashy as a behind-the-back no-look pass to the corner shooter, or as simple as sending the ball back to the top of the key in transition for an open three. He’s fleshed out his passing tree, capable of passing nearly everywhere from anywhere. He has advanced advantage perception as a playmaker (respective to his role), recognizing when his teammate has the better look than himself. The playmaking talent isn’t enough to scale him into becoming a primary or secondary offensive weapon in the future, but he will be a very effective role player. The more players on the floor that can pass, the better a teams offense runs.
Defense:
Johnson has great talent as a defender. He has great instincts, capable of anticipating a myriad of passes. It’s led him to producing strong closeouts on shooters and a ton of steals in the paint and through passing lanes. He can sag off pretty deep against shooters on the weak side without failing to recover and contest. His footwork and court awareness blend together to create a great off-ball and team defender.
Where Johnson has struggled the most is in the PnR. His lateral burst is mediocre, which leads to difficulties against smaller guards and speedy wings. Johnson tends to defend with an upright stance, resulting in a high center of gravity. With a high center of gravity, his agility and burst slows against screens particularly off-the-catch. As a last ditch effort, Johnson has a habit of gambling for steals from behind instead of looking to recover. This happens a lot from the top of the key, giving the ball-handler an unfettered lane to the basket.
While he struggles against screens, Johnson’s a positive defender in isolation, containing ball-handlers at an impressive rate. He continues to struggle with speedy guards, but defenders who can seal off speed are incredibly rare. Downhill, Johnson does a solid job tracking and walling up against his matchup, applying pressure on the ball without fouling. In the paint, Johnson is a disruptor, especially as a post-defender. His instincts make up for his lack of size, nabbing steals at every opportunity available.
Johnson averaged 2.1 steals per game last season, posting an incredible 4.4% steal rate. Johnson’s a versatile defensive playmaker on the ground, frequently creating transition opportunities. He’s active in passing lanes, disrupts entry passes, and takes advantage of lackadaisical rebounders. His engagement and focus at every moment is valuable, and shouldn’t go unnoticed.
Athleticism:
Kobe Johnson is an average to good athlete. Nothing that stands out, but it’s enough to get the job done.
He generates adequate power downhill in respect to his height/weight, but he’s not a strength creator. Johnson can finish over similar-sized wings and guards, but he isn’t one to power through bigs and larger forwards for tough finishes. He can create separation with shoulder bumps in the post, but isn’t capable of backing down defenders into the paint. Defensively he holds his own very well, even against taller and bigger wings. He’s quite sturdy against post-players.
Johnson’s speed and burst are negligible. He fails to create meaningful separation with his first step, and his downhill speed is slow to the point that defenders can recover, even when beat off-the-catch. Thus, many of Johnson’s drives are roundabout, making it tough to create penetration in iso possessions. On breakaway opportunities, Johnson’s speed is once again a liability, with many of his layups getting blocked from behind by recovering defenders. Defensively, Johnson doesn’t have strong lateral agility around screens, but is generally positive in iso/post possessions. He isn’t vertically gifted either, but his agility in the paint has earned him a few blocks and steals. There’s questions around Johnson’s lower-body flexibility and mobility, as he plays mostly upright, failing to fully engage his legs both offensively and defensively.
Overall Johnson doesn’t project to have a high ceiling, but he does project to contribute to winning system in the most productive way possible respective to his role. It’s hard to find off-ball wings with tangible playmaking talent. While the athleticism can be a concern, it’s not a weakness unique to Johnson among other rotation pieces in the NBA. His scoring ability off-the-catch in both the perimeter and at the rim will be good enough. Johnson doesn’t look to be lockdown defender like Herb Jones, but he’ll definitely be a positive contributor as an off-ball/team defender. Depending on how the season goes, Johnson could land in the first round. He has all the traits of a winning, productive player.