AJ Johnson has been on three teams throughout his first two seasons, and they've all come to the same conclusion: he's simply not ready. Since coming to the Dallas Mavericks via the Anthony Davis trade at the deadline, Johnson, drafted in the first round by the Bucks in 2024, has played a limited rotational role, and that likely won't change anytime soon.
Johnson has no clear role for the Mavericks right now
Since arriving in Dallas, Johnson has appeared in nine matchups for an average of 11.2 minutes per game. Despite being a former first-round pick, Johnson is behind both Brandon Williams and Ryan Nembhard on the Dallas point guard depth chart. Kyrie Irving won't be back this year, but when he does return, Johnson will be buried even further.
It's the same story Johnson endured in Milwaukee and Washington. With the Bucks, he averaged a mere 6.3 minutes per game in just seven appearances. After being traded to the Wizards, Johnson saw a massive uptick in minutes last season, averaging 27 across 22 games, but this season, he was down to 8.6 prior to the trade to Dallas.
No team Johnson has been on has offered him a legitimate role, and it might take some time for him to earn one.
Patience was always the idea with AJ Johnson
Johnson has the tools to be a nice player. He's fast, athletic, crafty, and lengthy. Those are all traits some of the best guards in the world have. The prominent issue is that he didn't land in a situation where developing and building on those qualities would be welcomed. He was drafted by a team in contention that needed pieces to help them win now and took a raw 19-year-old.
The Milwaukee Bucks quickly realized that they didn't have the time to develop Johnson themselves and traded him less than a year later. Washington could have been a good spot, but they were loaded with guards and didn't have much opportunity. The same now goes for the Mavericks, who have many point guards already on the payroll.
To get the best out of Johnson, he may need to spend time developing further before he's ready. Look at Bucks newcomer Ousmane Dieng. After riding the pine in OKC for four years, he's suddenly come to life in just a few weeks with the Bucks. Sometimes, all a player needs is time and an eventual opportunity. Time will tell if the same goes for Johnson.
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