Stand next to Stanley Johnson. Just stand.
Yes, he’s only 19 years old.
And yet the 6-foot-7, 245-pound teenager has a man’s body, ready for the NBA.
This draft series has focused on players who might be around when the Nuggets’ No. 7 selection comes up. Johnson, a standout at Arizona as a freshman, will definitely be there. The bigger question with Johnson is: Just how good will he be? Johnson’s draft stock slipped a bit over the course of the college season, for a variety of reasons. He now has every appearance of being a sleeper, with the potential to be the steal of the draft.
He averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his only season with the Wildcats, who lost in the Elite Eight to Wisconsin.
“I think I’m an underrated playmaker, an underrated shooter, underrated with the ball in my hands, underrated how I move on the court,” Johnson said. “I think people think I’m a stiff kind of player, and I’m far from it. I have some moves.”
Johnson’s upside. Johnson’s size is a big deal. When Johnson drives to the bucket, he has the strength to finish through contact or to simply absorb contact and get to the free-throw line, where he shot a respectable 74.2 percent this past season. He is more explosive to the rim than most think he is, and he can put the ball on the floor and slash to the bucket with effectiveness.
But perhaps his most underrated quality is his defense. Johnson gets down in a stance, digs in and can flat-out hound a ball handler. He could stand to be quicker laterally, but Johnson fights through screens and generally gets after it at the defensive end. He’ll be solid in team defensive concepts.
Johnson’s downside. Johnson is a better shooter than he’s generally thought to be, but he can continue to improve. Johnson shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range during the season.
“People think I can’t create my own shot,” Johnson said. “People think I can’t move with the ball well. When I get in a workout, you see me dribbling and making shots over people and stuff like that. Even though my shot release is kind of low, I think people are like, ‘OK, I didn’t know that could happen.’ “
In his workout in Denver, the Nuggets were pleasantly surprised by Johnson’s ability to get his shot off — and make those shots.
“It’s always been there for me,” he said. “I just wasn’t always able to show it at Arizona.”
Fit with Nuggets. Johnson’s impact with the Nuggets would be fairly similar to what Justise Winslow’s would be — a small forward who can do a variety of things. His size at that position is a big boost, and he would fit well in an up-tempo system.
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or
