NBA Draft 2019: 5 most surprising picks from draft night

1. Cameron Johnson – No. 11 – Phoenix Suns

The first big shocker of the night was Phoenix reaching for Cameron Johnson at 11. To start the day, Phoenix had the number six and seemed to be leaning towards taking a point guard to fill that void. But right before the draft they traded back to 11.

With Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges on the roster, the Suns were in a position to really do anything. But taking Johnson was questionable. Positionally, he overlaps with Josh Jackson and Mikal Bridges. He’s also already older than current Suns players Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Josh Jackson and Elie Okobo.

With Johnson’s age there is a clear lack of upside, but injuries are also a concern. Prior to the draft a report surfaced that several teams reg flagged Cam Johnson out of the first round due to injury history on both hips, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer. The age was already an issue but the hips bring another concern.

I actually am a fan of Johnson. He’s one of the best pure shooters in the draft and has great size at 6’9, but 11 was just too early. With his age, there’s not much room for growth and it’s hard to see him being more than a catch-and-shoot guy. Had Johnson not been taken at 11, there’s a good chance the Suns could have snagged him later on if they were that high on him.

Phoenix’s front office has been some questionable moves and taking Johnson at 11 added to that. They have cap space to sign a free agent but if they can’t land a point guard, the development of their young players will be hurt.