Dream Comparison for Bucks' AJ Johnson: De'Aaron Fox
NBA fans will certainly ask, "How can you compare AJ Johnson to De'Aaron Fox? He hasn't done anything yet." The title of the article is "Imaginative Comparisons," so let's use our imaginations.
At the NBA Combine, De'Aaron Fox measured at 6-foot-3, 169.6 pounds, one inch shorter and less than three pounds heavier than AJ Johnson at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine. Today, Fox is listed at 185 pounds, not an outlandish weight to expect AJ Johnson to reach. Fox was also measured with a 6-foot-6.5 wingspan. Johnson already has him beat at 6-foot-8.5.
Judging athleticism is a little harder because De'Aaron Fox didn't do any speed or agility tests at the combine like AJ Johnson did, so we have to rely on eye tests and news from around the league. It's not a secret that Fox is among the fastest players in the NBA. Per NBA.com, Johnson recorded the fastest shuttle run by any shooting guard and the second fastest by any guard at the combine.
Johnson was near the top of the pack in many of the other speed and agility metrics, showing that he has speed and quickness (there is a difference). Still, he isn't going to be known as the fastest player in the NBA anytime soon.
Speed, height and wingspan are not the only comparisons to draw between the two. In his seven seasons in the NBA, De'Aaron Fox is averaging 18.9 points, 6.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. Now, it is asking a lot of AJ Johnson to grow enough to match Fox's production, but that's what makes this a dream comparison.
Fox averages 32.9 minutes per game for his career after having nearly an instant role on a bad 2017-18 Sacramento Kings team that only won 27 games. Expanding AJ Johnson's Summer League averages to 32.9 minutes would equate to 16.6 points, 4.1 assists and five rebounds per game. Those numbers are not that far apart.
Looking at percentages for his career, De'Aaron Fox might be the perfect model for Milwaukee Bucks fans to set as a target for AJ Johnson. Fox shoots 47.1 percent on field goals, 33.4 percent on 3-point shots and 73.6 percent on free throws for his career. These are perfectly attainable numbers for AJ Johnson to aim for early in his career and then look to improve upon once he establishes himself.