With the No. 11 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected North Carolina forward Cameron Johnson. The pick reportedly be traded to the Phoenix Suns.
Johnson joined the Tar Heels as a graduate transfer for the 2017-18 season and made an immediate impact, averaging 12.4 points per contest to finish third in team scoring. He returned for his senior year in 2018-19 and established himself as one of the best players in the ultra-competitive ACC. The 23-year-old averaged career highs in scoring (16.9), rebounding (5.8), and field-goal percentage (50.5) en route to earning first-team All-ACC honors.
The Pennsylvania native has steadily improved his outside stroke since his freshman year, so much so that he might be the best shooter in the draft. Johnson shot a sizzling 45.7 percent from beyond the arc this season, tops in the ACC and seventh-highest overall in the nation. His upside might be limited, but he provides immediate floor spacing for teams in need of a shooter and should thrive in that role for years to come.
Bio
Position: PF
School: North Carolina
College Experience: Senior
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 210 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-10
Max vertical: 36.5 inches
Strengths
- Has good shot preparation; quickly gets his body squared to the hoop for catch-and-shoot situations
- Possesses NBA range from distance
- Moves well without the ball; looks for opportunities to score off cuts, ball-screens
- Runs the floor well in transition
Weaknesses
- Tends to shy away from contact at the rim and relies on generating most of his offense from the perimeter (averaged two free-throw attempts per game over his collegiate career)
- Limited effectiveness when forced to put the ball on the floor
- Needs to bulk up to better defend physical wings
- Turned 23 in March; may develop less than other draftees who are three to four years younger
