(Translator's note: The Undefeated journalist MARC J. SPEARS, the content of this article does not represent the views of the translator.) The data in this article is as of January 19, 2022 Beijing time)
The 25-year-old is trying to start his career in Los Angeles: "I'm not at my peak yet, and I'm not the person I dreamed of being. ”
The datasheet proved that Stanley Johnson was an important part of Monday's Lakers victory over the Jazz, and he came off the bench to score a season-high 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks. The Lakers were so satisfied with his performance that he attended the post-game press conference with stars James and Westbrook. During the game, the Lakers also posted several tweets about Johnson, including "#X因素斯坦利-Johnson #NBA全明星" and so on.
It seems like a dream come true for Johnson, who was born in Orange County, California, and has been a Lakers and Kobe fan since he was a child. If the Lakers decide to sign him for the rest of the season, it could be a dream come true.
"I really don't know what they're going to do. I don't know," Johnson recently told The Undefeated. "It's up to Rob Pelinka and all the possible top brass. I walk into the arena every day to do my best. Personally, I feel like I'm self-aware and I know what I can bring in as an athlete.
"The NBA is full of opportunities. So, the more opportunities you get, the better your chances are. That's what I believe. The more opportunities I get, the better I'll have. ”
Johnson averaged 6.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 10 games for the Lakers, but the most impressive was his performance on the defensive end. The Lakers signed a second 10-day contract with the 25-year-old on Monday, which is actually more like his third, as he was initially signed by the team with difficult exceptions due to health and safety protocol issues. Before deciding whether to keep him in the lineup this season, this is the last 10-day contract the Lakers can sign.
For Johnson, nothing is guaranteed, but if he continues to make an impact on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, it will be difficult for the Lakers to let him go. Lakers head coach Vogel said last week he wanted to keep Johnson, but didn't give any promises before a game with the Jazz.
"We have to keep the squad as flexible as possible," Vogel said. "I believe that's all there is to the exchange between Rob Pelinka and Stanley's agent. But what I saw in Stanley was that he was one of our best defensive players. He brings tremendous energy, toughness, dynamism, physical confrontation and technique to the defensive end. He can play smaller squads and really rotate on the outside. He took the block to change the game a little bit. He brings a lot of stuff on the defensive end. ”
Considering his rollercoaster NBA career, Johnson has changed four teams in seven years to date. Regardless of the final result, he is very grateful to the Lakers for giving him the opportunity.
As the 2015 Pacific-12 Conforence Rookie of the Year, Johnson averaged 13.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in his only season at the University of Arizona. When the Detroit Pistons selected Johnson with the 8th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, it was hoped that Johnson would be a star. However, the 6-foot-7-inch, 245-pound player didn't live up to expectations, averaging 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game between 2015 and 2019 and is the Pistons' main bench player. On Feb. 7, 2019, Johnson was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he rarely played the rest of the season.
Johnson said he benefited greatly from his own mistakes in the young and struggling Pistons.
"I feel like in many ways I could have communicated better with everyone than being afraid to ask for the help I needed." "It's clear that at the age of 19 or 20, coming to Detroit alone, you're always surrounded by the right people and focused on the right things, which in itself is difficult," Johnson said. Especially when you have a group of young people together, there is no one experienced senior to guide you. ”
"When I was there, no one around me ever said 'TMD'. Even when we lose, we train more than any other team in the league, and we train a lot of stuff like that. It's not a negative thing; it's just that other players put a lot of effort into doing the same thing, and I guess we're not. I guess I'm not. ”
Johnson's next stop is the Toronto Raptors, who averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game from 2019 to 2021 and shot 38 percent from the field. He also played three games for the Toronto Raptors' development league Raptors 905 team. Scoring a career-high 35 points with the Raptors and at one point being seen as a defensive finisher, his tenure ended with the decision of Raptors president Marseille Ujerry and other management.
Johnson said he needed the kind of honesty that Ugery had changed his career.
"It was a really honest conversation. That's what I need to hear," Johnson said. "In the NBA, being honest isn't always the number one thing people want to give you because it's not the easiest thing for professional players. I've been playing basketball all my life. I'm very good at playing basketball, so tell me I play basketball badly, and that kind of conversation is hard for professional players.
"It takes different types of people to tell you in person, not in a pessimistic way, in a constructive way." What are you going to do? Will you accept it or will you do something about it? I feel like I want to do something. I am 25 years old. I got into the league early on, and luckily I've been in the league for a long time. But I still haven't reached my peak, and I'm not close to being the person I've dreamed of being all my life. ”
Johnson next signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent, and after four preseason games, the Bulls dropped him on Oct. 16, 2021. He played six games for the Development League South Bay Lakers before the Bulls signed him again on a 10-day contract on December 9, 2021. But two days later, he triggered the league's health and safety deal, and he didn't play a single game and the contract expired. Johnson said an NBA team wanted to sign him to a 10-day contract with a difficult exception, but he missed it because it was during his quarantine period.
Through all this, Johnson said he never felt depressed, continued to work and believed in God.
"Even on the worst days, I'm still so lucky," Johnson said. "Who would have known it would be me working so long? I met a lot of great basketball guys. I can't think of all this as negative.
"It was the best experience of my life. It was some positive experience. Obviously, it didn't go according to my plan, but back home I never said something like, 'TMD, I really don't want to play anymore'. The truth is, after all this, I can still get paid by exercising and playing basketball every day. ”
Johnson actually plans to play for the South Bay Lakers starting Jan. 5, not the Los Angeles Lakers. But on December 24, 2021, after completing the quarantine, he signed a difficult 10-day special contract with the Lakers with veteran guard Collison. It was the "best Christmas present ever" he received.
While Collison's addition received more attention, Johnson had a bigger impact in the Christmas game against the Nets. He scored seven points in 27 minutes and shot a three-pointer. Wearing the Lakers jersey also fulfilled the Southern Californian's childhood dream.
"Watching the Christmas fight was probably one of my first memories of basketball," Johnson said. "Watching Kobe Bryant's playoff game in 2006 was one of the reasons I wanted to get into the NBA. Growing up, you don't know how it all happened. You just think you're going to go to the NBA to play for the Lakers. In fact, that's what I imagined myself as an NBA player as a kid.
"Obviously, when you get old, you say, 'Well, there are 20 teams left' and things like that. You really don't care how you got involved. Like my love of basketball, the Lakers were part of the fun they had as a kid. It's like a childhood thing, growing up in Los Angeles, growing up in California, I've always been that way. ”
Three weeks later, Johnson continued to play a role in the struggling Lakers. He heeded James' advice and aggressively attacked the basket. Johnson made 6-of-7 two-pointers against the Jazz, including a key layup against three-time best defensive player Gobert, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. Johnson also continued to show his strengths on the defensive end.
In addition to the Lakers' Twitter accounts, James and Westbrook were also impressed with him.
"People forget that he was our league's top 10 pick and he's only 25," James said. "He's a guy who's hungry to play and he wants to go out and prove he belongs to the NBA and try to stay here as long as possible."
Wei Shao said: "Throughout his career, he has experienced some ups and downs. Seeing him erupt on a night like this was crucial not only for him, but also for his self-confidence, everything he had endured, and all the battles he had experienced so far. ”
Johnson's contract with the Lakers is about to expire. Star striker Davis and veteran Anthony may be back soon.
But whether it's the Lakers or elsewhere, Johnson said, he'll be ready.
"I've been doing a lot of work for myself and my game and at some point, I'm going to be successful." Johnson said, "When success comes, it depends on God, on what you do and think in life." So I feel like I'm ready and you know how important opportunities are – you have to be ready. You just have to take the chance, and then, bang, it all happens. ”
Marc J. SPEARS
Compilation: Poetic