Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - KANSAS PORTAL TARGET? Isaiah Johnson Could be a STAR in the Making - Will Bill Self Strike?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Zaya Johnson is an absolute hooper, and I'm not just saying that because he has a great last name. This dude can drive. He can shoot. And I think he would make an excellent addition for the Kansas Jayhawks. You are locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's going on? Derek Johnson here. We're going to break down another transfer portal potential target for KU, what the fit would be what's the strengths and weaknesses of the scouting report and get into the info here on Isaiah Johnson.

Starting point is 00:00:39 You know, some people have been like, why are you doing this guy? Why are you doing that guy? These are potential role players. Give us the stars. Give us the studs. Well, here you go. Isaiah Johnson is an absolute star in the transfer portal to me. This is a player who has a chance to wherever he goes to his new school, be an all-conference player.

Starting point is 00:00:54 And I think he'd be a lot of fun at KU. Now, one thing you'd have to get over. He is six foot one, 170 pounds. and does that work with Tainlin Kinney, who's probably around 6-1, 6-6-2. You would certainly have to steer into that, but let's say you had Tyron Stokes at the three, let's say you had a power forward at the four. Let's say you had Flory at the five. Maybe you have enough size at those other positions to make it work.

Starting point is 00:01:15 Nonetheless, Johnson was only a freshman this past season. He'll be a sophomore the upcoming year. Obviously, everything is kind of a one-year free agency at this point, but it doesn't hurt that you'd be bringing in a player with multiple years. I don't know how this dude was only a three-star coming out of high school. he averaged like 27 points per game in high school too i don't know maybe just a small school or something but he goes to colorado in the big 12 and immediately balls out 17 points per game three assists per game a steel per game he shoots 49% from the floor 38% from three and 82% at the

Starting point is 00:01:47 foul line incredible efficiency really good totals he had 920 or more point outings and he averaged over 21 points per game in the matchups that he had against then ranked opponents when he played them. And that includes balling out against what we know is one of the best teams in the country and defenses in the country in Arizona. He had 28 points against Arizona. Now, the game played against Kansas, he couldn't really find his three point range, but he did still score 19 points had three rebounds, two assists on six of 14 shooting. And the metrics are really good for this kid. As a freshman, he had an 84th percentile RAPM. He was in the 95th percentile into wind shares per 40, the 96.

Starting point is 00:02:28 seventh percentile in P.E.R. The 96th percentile in Winsberg replacement player. Those are ridiculous numbers, especially for a freshman. And then if you look at on-off rating, they were two points better per 100 possessions on offense. Same on defense. So, you know, we slight on-off positive for him, but probably not much to take away there. Honestly, Colorado was a feisty, decent team that just kind of got swallowed up in the Big 12. Like, if Colorado was in the ACC, what they've been like an NCAA tournament team, you know? They had a lot of interesting pieces that most of them are in the transfer portal, including Johnson now.

Starting point is 00:03:07 But this is a guy that I think Bill Self and staff obviously should be extra familiar with, right? Like getting to play against him and scout him a little bit from the Big 12. I'll be interested here because, again, it can go two ways. The familiarity can work in the positive where it's like, yeah, we feel more comfortable. he's a little bit more of a known in a world where you don't always know what you're getting out of the transfer portal. Maybe that makes it a little bit easier. Then again, sometimes if you know, you know too much and then you don't go after him, right? But if you're like me and you're sitting here going, what do I want out of the transfer portal for Kansas this year?

Starting point is 00:03:44 I want scoring. I want shot creation. I want athleticism, which I think athleticism from the wing perspective is different than athleticism from the center perspective, which is different. different from athleticism from the guard perspective. Here's what I mean. When I think athleticism from a wing, I think lengthy, I think long, I think jumping ability. When I think athleticism from a guard, I think quickness, I think speed. So, you know, again, it's all kind of can go to the same place. But I want quick guards. This is a quick guard, one who can score, one who can create his own shot. And he's a young player. And yes, I would worry a

Starting point is 00:04:26 little bit about the lack of size, but I think you can make up for that another way. And there's going to be a very long list of suitors for this kid. The bidding war is going to be real. But this would absolutely be a take for me. And right now is one of the better players in the transfer portal available. So let's dive a little bit deeper into some of his strengths and weaknesses and see if we get even more excited or less excited. Next. This episode's brought to you by Indeed, workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure is on and you need the right higher, this a job for Indeed sponsor jobs. Indeed sponsor jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit

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Starting point is 00:05:38 premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast now. Support our show by saying you heard about it unlocked on Jayhawks. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply need to hire this job for Indeed Sponsored jobs. Thanks yet for joining us. Don't forget and join the everydayer club where you can get the ad free version of the show and join with code March. You get the first month free, locked on podcasts.com slash every day. Our strengths and weaknesses for the scouting report for Isaiah Johnson. One of the strengths is shooting efficiency. He was in the 89th percentile in effective field goal percentage,

Starting point is 00:06:14 97th percentile for true shooting percentage. I always lean toward, I'm more of a true shooting percentage over effective field goal percentage. You might be wondering what the differences are. Just Google them. I don't want to get into the ins and outs right now. This is a bonus episode short show, but maybe I'll explain that on a later show. But basically it's an all-encompassing stat and metric to show how good of a shooter you are at like a lot of different areas, right? But he's good on twos.

Starting point is 00:06:36 He was good at the rim. He was good around the rim. He was good on threes. And he can hit spot up threes at a high level. So you're getting diversity of how he can score, how he can make a shot. He also avoids turnovers. As just a freshman, he was in the 80th percentile for turnover rate for guards. And usually that's a number that for freshmen gets better as they stay longer in school.

Starting point is 00:06:57 He had an 84th percentile and assist to turnover. turnover ratio. I noticed kind of in watching a lot of the highlights, like to throw bounce passes and seem pretty good at doing so. Also, a very strong driver of the basketball. You know, from what I remember watching him, I remembered him being a good transition player from some of the other Colorado games I'd seen like a good jump shooter. But I think you let those things carry the day, and especially knowing that he is a bit of a smaller guard at 6-1. You don't necessarily think he's going to be a great driver of the basketball. But he absolutely is. He has some really good moves to get to the rim and to finish. Very good touch around the rim, has a good spin move to get to the rim. I think like in watching him,

Starting point is 00:07:40 as you see how good he is at getting there and getting himself an open shot there, the word that I would use to describe his driving style is slithery. He slithers through the lane. He's got Eurosteps. He jukes by guys. He's just so slithery and tough to keep in front of you. And here's what it totals up to be. He was in the 99th percentile in rim attacks. He was in the 99.6th percentile. So basically the 100th percentile in attack and kicks. So using that to his advantage too and passing out to other players.

Starting point is 00:08:13 I think that could be pretty good with Taylin Kinney, who can hit an open spot-up shot, right? He also gets the free throw line, which makes sense, right? If you are slithering to the rim and you're getting yourself in comfortable positions and making layups, or then you're causing the defense to be in a bad position because you've slithered by them, they're going to foul you and you're going to go to the free throw line. And that's a good thing too because KU didn't go to the free throw line enough last season. Also, a really good fast break score. Colorado liked to play fast and get in transition.

Starting point is 00:08:44 He was in the 98th percentile on fast break points per game. I think you see a lot of highlights. You see the speed and the quickness in the open floor. You see that ability to get downhill. Those things would be helpful for KU because, you know, we know Bill Self. If he's got a good transition game, they'll run it, right? Then you look at the weaknesses here. Not a good mid-range shooter, at least in the first year.

Starting point is 00:09:05 That is something he could probably work on. And honestly, I would prefer a player be really good at the rim and from three than I would in the mid-range. So that's okay, but that is something to knock against him right now. He was extremely efficient on dribble jumpers, but he took them at one of the lowest frequencies in the country. And I think the question you have to ask is this. Does that indicate he's, not great at freeing himself to take those shots. Or does it indicate he's not looking to do it a lot, that he doesn't have a lot of shot creation. He's more of a shot maker, right? To me, I view it more as

Starting point is 00:09:38 because he was so good at driving the basketball, he didn't settle for dribble jumpers. He kept driving. And the jumpers he took were more in the rhythm of the offense, which I think are good things. But you could probably stretch it that way if you had questions there. What is the level of defense is another real question here too, right? I think part of that is the size. He was only in the 25th percent on Hakeem rate. So not really somebody who's getting new steals. And that's a question we have about Taylor and Kenny. What is his defense going to be coming in?

Starting point is 00:10:04 If you have the back court of Johnson and Kenny, what is that going to mean for KU defensively? Now, here's the thing. I continue to say, Bill Self has had eight consecutive seasons ranking in the top 20 on defense, but he's at three seasons ranking outside the top 50 on offense. I trust Bill Self to give the defense a high floor. And especially if you get Florey but do and go back,

Starting point is 00:10:25 you have that back wall to help you with and protection. I will take having a couple of, and ideally Johnson gets a letter from freshman sophomore year, but I will take having two guards who are not as good defensively if they're going to be elite offensively and you have pieces elsewhere that can be good defenders. Like, if you land Tyrant Stokes, he can be a really good defender. If you get forward but don't go back, he can be a really good defender. What if you go out and get a player like Miles Bird, right? There are players you can get to be good defenders around the good offense. But what have we seen these last few years? They haven't had enough good offense.

Starting point is 00:10:56 So that reason, I'm fully in on dealing with a lack of defense. The question then just becomes, is it too much lack of defense and is it too much lack of height from the back court? Let's get more into the fit and I guess final thoughts here. Next, this is Locked on Jayhawks. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by TurboTax. It is tax time and coming up on April 15th. But for a lot of us, the old way of doing taxes is a lot of us.

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Starting point is 00:13:17 So check out both those episodes and some of our other deep dyes here on Locked on Jayhawks. So obviously, I would definitely have some defensive questions about the Johnson-Kinney potential back court there, but I would have zero offensive questions. Both guys can pass, both guys that can shoot, both guys, I think a little bit more in Johnson's case that can drive. I think that would be incredible. And now, here's one other question I do have. Has Bill South ever had a lefty point guard? I can't think of one off the top of my head. Now, obviously, Keith Langford was a lefty. It wasn't a point guard. He's more of a shooting guard. So it's not like Bill Soff has never done it, but like, why can I not think of more lefties in the Bill Self system for some reason? And the

Starting point is 00:13:58 ones that I think of are like bigs like Florey's a lefty obviously but he's not a point guard how does that affect the offense we I don't know we heard after the season mark Pope and Kentucky it ruined their whole season because they built an offense for a lefty and it didn't works I I don't know like is that actually a problem or a thing or something that he looks to avoid who knows but yeah man I I think Johnson is an incredible player he's a really good driver passes decently makes open shots he can play on the ball he can play off the ball and he was just a freshman this past season and he already did it in the conference you're in so I I'm in on Isaiah Johnson.

Starting point is 00:14:30 And like I said, it does mean the rest of your roster has to be a little bit more specific because if you have Johnson and Kinney, you need size at the three, four, five. But if you land Tyron Stokes and you get forward and badoonga back and you have a power forward at the four, that's enough size at the three to five to make that, to overcome that at the one and two, in my opinion. So the question then just comes down to money, right? What is the money going to be here? because he's probably going to get a pretty hefty fee.

Starting point is 00:14:58 And so do you have enough money to like, like let's say you are able to get Flory back and get Stokes back? I think the idea of Bill Self coming back is he has this big, I think Mike Vernon's, you know, quoted it as like a war chest. Does he have this huge war chest to play with that you can afford a player like this on top of those or are you having to play it like a tier below this potentially? Like that's a question that I don't really have the answer to, but one that, you know, I think would certainly take pressure off Kinney too, because right now

Starting point is 00:15:31 you're counting on Kinney to be like, a guy. You bring Johnson in, you're now counting on Kenny to be the understudy to Johnson and you have some of these other potential really good pieces. So this is one I definitely take and that'll do it for this episode of the show. Thanks for joining us on Locked on Jayhawks. See you next time.

Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - KANSAS PORTAL TARGET? Isaiah Johnson Could be a STAR in the Making - Will Bill Self Strike?

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