Positive - Defense
Most AJ Johnson highlights from the game happened on offense, but defense is arguably where he looked the most solid. At 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, he has some size at the guard position, and he made sure to make that count in his first game with the Milwaukee Bucks.
He wasn't guarding NBA stars, so it cannot be certain how big of an impact he can have just yet, but he proved to be quick-moving and reacting on one-on-one defense, not letting his man get space and making it hard to shoot over him.
Johnson was also able to navigate through screens and constantly had his arms open to make himself larger, hindering the attacker's vision. His impact on that end was noticeable and helped him make a good first impression.
He had no impressive blocks or hustle plays, but he didn't need to. Sometimes, good defense is not flashy at all. There is no better defensive action than being well-established and stopping the ball, and that's what he did most of the time, showing potential that he could be a great point-of-attack defender in the future.
Positive - Readiness
When Johnson was drafted, general manager Jon Horst was questioned because it didn't feel like he fit the roster's timetable. At 19 years old, he's still super young, and scouts really focused on how he wasn't really ready to play at an NBA level just yet; they were even talking about a two-year gap for him to be ready for the league. Yet, despite this one being just a summer game in Las Vegas, it looks like those scouts were a bit pessimistic.
It's not like Johnson looked like a veteran player or anything, but he didn't seem like a child on the floor as some expected. In fact, at times, he looked like the best player in the game, especially during his very promising first half, where he scored 10 of his 13 points.
He wasn't physically outclassed despite his glaring need to gain some muscle and weight. He didn't miss the flow of the game, and he had just the amount of rookie mistakes that you could expect from any other youngster.
It needs to be addressed that this was just a Summer League game, so we can't just call him ready for the NBA yet, of course. Yet, Johnson showing such good flashes shows he might not be as far off as expected. The fact that he doesn't fit the timetable is still true, but if he's given the chance to get some reps and learn on the court, he may be able to bring something to the Bucks next season.