Virginia Basketball: Transfer Nigel Johnson commits to Cavaliers

Virginia basketball added an interesting piece to their puzzle on Saturday afternoon as former Rutgers guard Nigel Johnson committed to the program.

One of the first transfers to come off the board was former Rutgers guard Nigel Johnson, who committed to Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon.

Related Story: Wahoos in major funk heading into final week of February

Johnson, who played his first two seasons of college basketball at Kansas State, will be eligible immediately in 2017-18.

In Johnson’s first two years of college basketball at Kansas State, the guard averaged under 20 minutes and did not put up more than 5.2 points per game in a single season. However, after sitting out a year, Johnson averaged 11.3 points and shot 38 percent from the field with Rutgers in 2016-17.

The 6’1″ talent has the handles and explosiveness to play on the ball as a lead guard but also possesses an improving shooting stroke that has given him more leeway in terms of playing off-the-ball.

Johnson will have to continue to improve his perimeter shot and his playmaking ability (only two assists per game last year), but he can be a nuisance defensively (1.2 steals per game) because of his speed and quick hands.

While the Ashburn, VA native can be a pest on defense at times, Johnson is known more for his offensive game than anything else. He doesn’t always play under control and tends to takes poor shots on occasion, making his fit with Virginia a rather odd one. Bennett’s team prides itself on ball security, high basketball IQ and a defensive mentality that comes before offense.

Maybe Bennett is trying to somewhat change his philosophy after the Cavs struggled mightily in ACC play and failed to make it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament due to their lack of offensive punch.

Virginia also must replace their departures at the guard position as London Perrantes is graduating this spring, while Marial Shayok and Darius Thompson are transferring out of the program. Johnson will combine with Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, and Devon Hall to form what could be a more dynamic offensive backcourt than most will believe.

Next: Early preseason top 25 for the 2017-18 season

Could there actually be a tweak within Virginia’s scheme/system? And is Johnson going to be one of the players to take Virginia to the next level? We won’t get our answers now, but this could either backfire on Bennett or it could be an addition that gives UVA an elite group of guards within the ACC.