Texas freshman Tre Johnson announced Tuesday on ESPN’s “NBA Today” that he will declare for the NBA draft.
Johnson is projected to be picked No. 5 in ESPN’s post-NCAA tournament mock draft, which was published Tuesday.
“This season was a roller-coaster ride,” Johnson said. “But it was a great experience, wins and losses aside. Going up against the best teams in the country. Playing at Texas was the best experience I’ve ever had, being with a great group of guys and a great coaching staff.”
Johnson was named SEC Freshman of the Year and All-SEC Second Team after averaging 19.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, shooting 37% from 3. He helped Texas make the NCAA tournament, with the Longhorns eliminated by Xavier in the First Four.
At 6-foot-6, with a 6-10 wingspan, Johnson is a prototype for what the NBA seeks at the wing position, featuring excellent size and length, a strong build, and prolific scoring prowess. He has diverse shot-making versatility, running off screens, hitting pull-up jumpers, and rising for difficult step-backs and side-step 3-pointers, while showing versatility with flashes of slashing and passing ability. He turned 19 on March 7.
Johnson is in Santa Barbara, California, preparing for the draft and an even more significant challenge in the NBA.
“It will be constant work, just trying to take advantage of every day to try and get better,” Johnson said. “I’m a big basketball nerd, so I’m spending a lot of time watching film, both full games and individual players on Synergy. I like to watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander because we have similar body types. Devin Booker, with how he scores and his footwork coming off pindowns, and also Klay Thompson with the Warriors, seeing how he uses different actions.”
The NBA draft combine will be held May 11-18 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 25-26 in New York.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.
