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As the Lakers and Nets clashed connected Christmas Day, millions were tuned successful to spot the prima power: LeBron James. Russell Westbrook. James Harden.
But to a small-but-faithful Orange County contingent, Stanley Johnson was the existent star.
Mater Dei boys hoops manager Gary McKnight was celebrating Christmas with family, sitting adjacent to his nonagenarian mother-in-law portion fiddling with an unfamiliar TV remote. He thought helium mightiness beryllium fortunate capable to spot Johnson, 1 of the champion players to ever suit up for the Monarchs, play a fistful of minutes aft signing a 10-day declaration via hardship exemption. Instead, he was treated to 27 minutes of the 25-year-old helping trying to enactment step-for-step with Brookyn’s Harden, 1 of the craftiest scorers who has ever lived.
“I was precise proud,” helium said. “I deliberation he’s learned from being a young kid successful the NBA, ‘If I truly bust my process connected defense, I’ll person a relation successful this league.’ … I deliberation he’s cleanable for the Lakers.”
Perhaps there’s immoderate Mater Dei-based bias successful that sentiment, but Johnson caught much than conscionable the oculus of his aged manager connected Saturday erstwhile helium spent the bulk of his Lakers debut trying to corral Harden and helping substance a comeback that came conscionable short. It was the astir vulnerability the 25-year-old has had successful immoderate time: a nationalist TV debut with his hometown squad that helium loved to ticker increasing up, lining up against 1 of the league’s elite guards.
And yet Johnson’s easiness was his astir notable attribute: his comfortableness successful the Lakers’ system, his acceptance of his defense-first role, his chill attack to playing successful the recently minted Crypto.com Arena. These are each acquainted components to the Fullerton native, aft all.
“It’s conscionable doing my job, similar different time successful the office,” helium said. “I’ve been coming to Staples Center my full beingness and it’s kinda a small easier to play astatine home. I’m precise comfortable. I kinda conscionable similar fto it happen.”
That mightiness look similar assured words for a young subordinate connected a 10-day deal, but earlier Johnson was clawing retired a surviving successful the NBA, helium was 1 of Southern California’s anointed players.
The abbreviated resume: Johnson was a four-time authorities champion astatine Mater Dei, a McDonald’s All-American, first-team each Pac-12 astatine Arizona, and a No. 8 wide draught prime successful 2015. It was evident to galore that helium was league bound, not conscionable due to the fact that helium was 6-foot-7 and “built similar Zeus” arsenic McKnight puts it, but due to the fact that helium had specified a dedicated enactment ethic. He would enactment retired earlier and aft schoolhouse astatine American Sports Centers successful Anaheim, occasionally adjacent getting invites to play hoops with a section admirer – Kobe Bryant.
South Bay Lakers manager Miles Simon archetypal met Johnson erstwhile helium was 14, a young, bare subordinate coming up from his precocious schoolhouse alma mater. Johnson would spell connected to play center, forward, shooting defender and constituent defender for his four-peat. He would beryllium immoderate benignant of subordinate his squad needed him to be.
But adjacent apical prep phenoms tin deed velocity bumps successful the pros, wherever each subordinate was a prima successful his hometown. Johnson came into the league oozing promise, but ne'er developed his violative crippled past a definite threshold: He’s averaged 6.2 points connected 37.5 shooting successful his career. After stops successful Detroit, New Orleans and Toronto, helium recovered himself connected the extracurricular looking successful this offseason.
That’s wherever a batch of NBA stories end. Not Johnson’s. He started looking for G League opportunities, landing successful South Bay wherever helium could play nether Simon’s wing. But Johnson besides told his caller manager not to instrumentality it casual connected him due to the fact that of their Mater Dei and Arizona connections.
“He said, ‘Miles, manager maine hard – you tin manager maine immoderate mode you want,’” Simon recalled. “‘I truly conscionable privation to win, I conscionable privation to play, due to the fact that I haven’t had an accidental to get legit minutes.’ And he’s conscionable scratched and clawed to support his footing successful the league.”
Simon called Johnson a “force” successful South Bay for the weeks helium was there, helping the squad to a 5-1 start. By aboriginal December helium was called up to the Chicago Bulls, wherever helium had been a grooming campy cut. But conscionable a fewer days later, helium coiled up determination overmuch little exciting: the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols.
Johnson recovered himself stuck successful a Miami edifice country quarantining for weeks. But it was determination that helium said immoderate conversations helium had with his pastor truly took hold.
“To get that benignant of accidental and past it goes away, you’re kinda conscionable stuck successful the middle,” helium said. “You can’t power anything, but you truly can’t power thing anyway. So I conscionable stopped worrying astir it. I did my clip successful quarantine, focused connected what I needed to absorption connected portion I was there, tried to support my caput close and enactment happy.”
Johnson believes it was divine enactment that led to his signing successful Los Angeles, conscionable aft helium had flown location from his enactment successful Miami. But Los Angeles besides knew what it was getting aft seeing Johnson for weeks successful their El Segundo facility. A squad that has lacked perimeter and helping defenders – particularly since a COVID-19 outbreak deed – needed Johnson to assistance vie connected that extremity with the roster thinning out.
One of the biggest benefits of having Simon, a erstwhile Lakers assistant, coaching the G League is that the 2 teams present usage the nonstop aforesaid terminology. Even though Christmas was his archetypal day, Johnson was prepared for the antiaircraft calls from the sideline and from teammates. Simon besides noted however precise Johnson was successful pursuing the crippled plan.
“I could archer successful the game, the program was to nonstop Harden to his close manus arsenic overmuch arsenic possible,” helium said. “Stanley kept him to his close manus beauteous overmuch each possession helium was connected him.”
NBA information shows the Lakers leaned connected Johnson to defender Harden astir 43% of possessions, during which the Lakers surrendered 21 points. No 1 tin genuinely fastener down the Beard, but Johnson’s dependable attack helped the Lakers marque a precocious tally erstwhile they leaned connected him down the stretch.
It’s hard to accidental what immoderate 10-day player’s aboriginal is, particularly these days. The Lakers fto a 10-day with Isaiah Thomas tally retired connected Sunday. They besides had Rajon Rondo spell into protocols, opening different roster spot. So galore players person been called up from the G League ranks, that league is virtually connected hiatus until aboriginal January due to the fact that their rosters person been culled. Johnson understands the on-the-fly quality of this season, too, saying astatine 1 constituent with a laugh: “I deliberation time volition beryllium large for maine to find retired what I tin bring (to this team).”
He has believers successful the organization, possibly Simon astir of all.
“He knows that 1 nighttime doesn’t get him a occupation connected the level with the Lakers; you gotta bash it implicit and over,” Simon said. “But if helium keeps playing similar helium did past night, helium decidedly has a chance.”
There’s thing much Johnson indispensable bash successful the eyes of McKnight, who calls him “right up there” with the champion players to ever travel retired of Mater Dei. He already has the longest NBA vocation of immoderate of McKnight’s players.
But it’s wide that Johnson wants more, too. Saturday nighttime was a peculiar acquisition for him, and he’s each for making much memories successful the NBA.
“One of the things that helped maine autumn successful emotion with hoops was watching the Lakers play,” helium said. “So I deliberation being capable to play for the Lakers connected this day, it’s a peculiar time for the NBA, it’s thing that I’ll retrieve for a agelong time.”
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