{"id":111294,"date":"2024-12-09T11:03:41","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T16:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=111294"},"modified":"2024-12-09T11:03:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T16:03:41","slug":"2025-nba-draft-tre-johnson-blazers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/09\/2025-nba-draft-tre-johnson-blazers\/","title":{"rendered":"Scorching-Hot Texas Shooter A Perfect Draft Fit For Blazers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Texas freshman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/tre-johnson-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tre Johnson<\/a> is one of, if not the, most skilled in the 2025 draft class.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Tre Johnson is the BEST Freshman since Kevin Durant\ud83d\ude24<\/p>\n<p>Versus UCONN:<\/p>\n<p>24 PTS\ud83d\udd25<br \/>\n2 REBS\ud83d\udcaa<br \/>\n4 ASTS\ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NBA<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HookEm?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#HookEm<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#CBB<\/a> \ud83c\udfc0 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/w9ItcNuQeZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/w9ItcNuQeZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/InsideTexas\/status\/1865980442890883164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A 6-foot-6 and 184-pound shooting guard, Johnson is currently averaging a SEC-high 21.1 points per game. What makes his production even more impressive is his efficiency, as he\u2019s shooting 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent shooting from three. He doesn\u2019t make much of an impact outside of his scoring ability, his contributions as a facilitator and defender muted. Nonetheless, he\u2019s still a bit more well-rounded than given for.<\/p>\n<p>At this point, he\u2019s likely still outside of the projected top-three.<\/p>\n<p>Duke freshman forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/cooper-flagg-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cooper Flagg<\/a> hasn\u2019t had a tight grip on the No. 1 spot but might still be <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/23\/cooper-flagg-best-draft-fit\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">the safest bet<\/a>. Rutgers freshman forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/airious-bailey-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ace Bailey<\/a> has been a mixed bag but is still <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/21\/rutgers-ace-bailey-charm-wizards-draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">a No. 1 contender<\/a>. Rutgers freshman guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/dylan-harper-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dylan Harper<\/a> has usurped Baylor freshman guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/vj-edgecombe-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">V.J. Edgecombe<\/a> as a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/19\/baylor-vj-edgecombe-draft-fit\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">consensus top-three prospect<\/a>. In fact, he\u2019s made a great case <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/20\/rutgers-dylan-harper-better-father-bulls\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">to be selected first overall<\/a> in the 2025 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n<p>However, Johnson may be playing well enough to overshadow the contributions of prospects like BYU freshman guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/egor-demin-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Egor Demin<\/a> and Illinois freshman guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/kasparas-jakucionis-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kasparas Jakucionis<\/a>. Demin and Jakucionis are jumbo playmakers who can <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/19\/byu-egor-demin-solves-spurs-problem-draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">do a bit of everything<\/a>. Their blend of size, skill, and international intrigue gives them a certain appeal to draft scouts. Nonetheless, neither has shown the type of shot-creation or scoring instincts that Johnson has. In a league that often places a premium on players who can get their own buckets, he could have a higher ceiling than either Demin or Jakucionis.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Johnson could be selected in the top five next summer. However, he should be no worse than a top-10 selection if the 2024-25 season ended today. With that being said, there are multiple franchises currently projected to have a pick in the 4-10 range that could have interest in him.<\/p>\n<p>The team where Johnson fits best, both now and the future, is the Portland Trail Blazers.<\/p>\n<h2>Scorching-Hot Texas Shooter Tre Johnson A Perfect Draft Fit For Blazers<\/h2>\n<p>Right now, it\u2019s unclear who the Blazers consider to be part of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/11\/05\/should-blazers-trust-rebuild-trade-block\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">their future backcourt<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>2018 No. 24 pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/simonan01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anfernee Simons<\/a> is a more potent scorer than 2023 No. 3 pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hendesc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scoot Henderson<\/a>, yet he\u2019s even more streaky. Furthermore, he\u2019ll be on the final year of his contract in 2025-26. 2022 No. 7 pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sharpsh01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shaedon Sharpe<\/a> is arguably their most gifted player but has been injury prone. Barring an extension, he\u2019ll also be on an expiring contract next season.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s one common denominator with each of these aforementioned players though and it\u2019s their inefficiency from beyond the arc. In fact, each of Simons, Henderson, and Sharpe are shooting below 33 percent from three-point range this season. This is a significant factor in the Blazers ranking 25th in three-point percentage (.333) and 26th in offensive rating (106.8) this season.<\/p>\n<p>In drafting Johnson, Portland will definitely be able to boost those numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Just as importantly, they\u2019ll give themselves a wide array of options moving forward. Next season, the Texas native could start between Simons and Sharpe or Henderson and Sharpe. He could start between alongside Henderson and Simons. He could even come off the bench in a sixth man-like role. Furthermore, the Blazers will have a ready-made replacement for Simons or Sharpe if they\u2019re unable to unwilling to retain them long-term.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas freshman Tre Johnson is one of, if not the, most skilled in the 2025 draft class. Tre Johnson is the BEST Freshman since Kevin Durant\ud83d\ude24 Versus UCONN: 24 PTS\ud83d\udd25 2 REBS\ud83d\udcaa 4 ASTS\ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8#NBA #HookEm #CBB \ud83c\udfc0 pic.twitter.com\/w9ItcNuQeZ \u2014 Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) December 9, 2024 A 6-foot-6 and 184-pound shooting guard, Johnson is currently averaging [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":111309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,1608,62,556],"tags":[1559,98,4702,4600,49827],"class_list":["post-111294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trailblazers","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-draft","tag-anfernee-simons","tag-nba-draft","tag-scoot-henderson","tag-shaedon-sharpe","tag-tre-johnson"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111294"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111310,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111294\/revisions\/111310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}