JaJuan Johnson

Strengths

Johnson has really developed and fine-tuned his game in his Junior season. His numbers have not improved much across the board, but he looks much more comfortable on the court… He is a 6'10" Power Forward with great length and good athleticism… Few big men can match his leaping ability… Despite not being the focus on offense, JaJuan Johnson does well for himself. He posts up well and will usually finish with a hook shot in the lane. He is active on the offensive glass (averaging 3+ O-boards a game), which he will put back in for two points… Johnson is at his best on the pick and roll, where he uses his quickness and the correct footwork on the roll to the rim or he will stop short for an open 10' jump shot, which he is more than capable of hitting. But Johnson also thrives in transition. He can consistently beat his men up the floor and get into the paint for an easy dunk… He has a solid face-up game. When he is in the high post, or even when he gets the ball on the low blocks, he looks to turn and face the rim. He will hit the mid-range jumper or use a ball-fake and get by his defender to score… Johnson thrives on defense. He has solid lateral quickness and is a great help defender, either hedging off of screens or picking up his teammates men on defensive rotations…

Weaknesses

Johnson is 6'10", with long arms and great leaping ability, but he leaves scouts wondering why he doesn't grab more rebounds. With Purdue's perimeter defenders exhibiting tremendous pressure, opposing teams end up with poor shot selection, leading to lots of misses and turnovers, so with this pressure, why isn't Johnson capitalizing on the defensive glass? He is averaging just about 4 defensive rebounds per game, and it really should be about twice that. Is it a toughness issue? A strength/weight issue? Lack of hustle? Most scouts also wonder why Johnson isn't putting on any weight to his rail-thin frame. He can add about 20 or so pounds to his 215-pound frame and still keep the same mobility and athleticism and will need to do so in order to compete with the NBA's bigs… He has difficulty posting-up and maintaining position in the paint against defending big men. Defensively, he can be backed down fairly easily in the post…