UNC Basketball: NBA Draft profile of North Carolina wing Cameron Johnson
By Trevor Marks
Draft Stock: Mid-to-late First Round
Given the value of three-point shooting in today’s NBA, and the several teams that need help on the wing, Cameron Johnson could possibly hear his name called as high at 15 or 16 on draft night, as bold as that may sound. After the lottery (and, really, the first few picks), the talent level really starts to flatten out, hence why players can be found 10, 15, 20 spots apart from big board to big board — the “consensus” pertaining to the talent after the first few guys is that … there is none. Anyone can go anywhere, and the 23-year-old Johnson is no exception.
If Boston wants to grab an experienced player with the first of their three picks and aren’t enamored with whatever players slip out of the top 10, they could potentially select him at No. 14, since he’d serve as their best shooter on a jump-shooting team right away. The Pistons at No. 15 are known to be after a wing, as they seriously need help along the perimeter, and Johnson would give them the shooting they crave to put around Blake Griffin. The Magic at 16 need shooting badly, the Hawks at 17 are building a modern-day team in the mold of the Warriors (shooting, shooting, and more shooting), the Pacers at 18 are losing several wings to free agency, and so on and so forth.
There’s plenty of room for a top-shelf wing shooter in the NBA in 2019, and UNC’s Cameron Johnson profiles as the best shooter in the 2019 draft class. Teams know exactly what they’re getting in the 6-9 sharpshooter, and he’d be an attractive option for playoff teams looking to draft a Day One contributor.
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Some teams may prefer to opt for younger options on the wing, but a mid-teens selection shouldn’t be ruled out for Johnson, especially if teams covet an immediate return on their investment. Some teams prioritize adding youth and are willing to wait to see if their pick hits on his upside or not; others are perfectly fine with using the draft to grab a top-tier shooter who’ll be under team control for five-plus years, which sounds like a fine proposition to make on draft night.
Because of this, he could go anywhere from 15 to 30 in the 2019 NBA Draft, and whatever team selects him will probably be pretty happy with themselves.