Opinion: Better Route for Cam Johnson to NBA?

[mehinpgh]

A. Score 23pts/game, 4boards, 3assists for Pitt and be an All American (not first team) and All-ACC player, team ends up 9-20 on the year.
B. Score 9pts/game, 1.5boards, 1assist for North Carolina as their 6th man. Make no post season all star teams, but have a good chance to play deep into the NCAA tournament to possibly showcase some clutch shooting distance/etc

 

[NTOP]

A. Score 23pts/game, 4boards, 3assists for Pitt and be an All American (not first team) and All-ACC player, team ends up 9-20 on the year.
B. Score 9pts/game, 1.5boards, 1assist for North Carolina as their 6th man. Make no post season all star teams, but have a good chance to play deep into the NCAA tournament to possibly showcase some clutch shooting distance/etc

C. Average 14 points/6 RBs & 3 assts as a starter for UNC....for 2 years.

 

[mehinpgh]

i forgot he had two years of eligibility left...i read he was going to be 6th man though?

 

[FireballZ]

D. Score 35pts/game, 9boards, 15assists for TCU and be a 1st Team All American and All-B12 player, team ends up 40-0 on the year and National Champions over Vanderbilt.

 

[NTOP]

i forgot he had two years of eligibility left...i read he was going to be 6th man though?

You may have read that here....which makes it worthless.
Justin Jackson was a similar player...better, but similar skills and style. Williams likes a fast pace, and they need to replace a lot of minutes.

 

[NTOP]

D. Score 35pts/game, 9boards, 15assists for TCU and be a 1st Team All American and All-B12 player, team ends up 40-0 on the year and National Champions over Vanderbilt.

They'll only be 37-3, and Dixon wouldn't tolerate that many shots from anyone.

 

[rockypanther]

A. Score 23pts/game, 4boards, 3assists for Pitt and be an All American (not first team) and All-ACC player, team ends up 9-20 on the year.
B. Score 9pts/game, 1.5boards, 1assist for North Carolina as their 6th man. Make no post season all star teams, but have a good chance to play deep into the NCAA tournament to possibly showcase some clutch shooting distance/etc

Would have been shocked if he was All American or All ACC. Tough to achieve those honors on a 6 or 7 win team. He made the best move for his future.

 

[DT_PITT]

D. Score 35pts/game, 9boards, 15assists for TCU and be a 1st Team All American and All-B12 player, team ends up 40-0 on the year and National Champions over Vanderbilt.

Well played.

 

[Jpripper88]

A. Score 23pts/game, 4boards, 3assists for Pitt and be an All American (not first team) and All-ACC player, team ends up 9-20 on the year.
B. Score 9pts/game, 1.5boards, 1assist for North Carolina as their 6th man. Make no post season all star teams, but have a good chance to play deep into the NCAA tournament to possibly showcase some clutch shooting distance/etc

No chance at A and I am sure he will do much better than B. However, those stats are largely inconsequential to NBA scouts. They care about projection and all that matters for Cam is if he can be a 3&D.

 

[KennyTheKangaroo]

Well, if he put up 23 points, 4 boards and 3 assists on a losing team, he would be putting up numbers comparable to markelle fultz and ben simmons. so with that in mind, he should have stayed because he would be a first overall pick

 

[pitt2533]

My opinion... truthfully I could not care less what he does at UNC now that he is no longer at Pitt. Whether he starts or is UNC 6th man is meaningless to me as a Pitt fan

 

[J-Rye_UL]

Looking at UNC's roster, Cam should start and get 30 minutes a night. They don't have much returning on the wing other than Theo Pinson, and he can't shoot. I could see Cam playing small ball PF too, because their frontcourt is struggling (compared to last year).

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

My opinion? He's a smart kid. He will do well in life. He is going to have alot of fun playing basketball and alot of wins, and the path to the NBA is no real different than if he would stay at Pitt. The NBA has their pattern (as young as possible) so Cam may get a 2nd round look unless he explodes.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

A. Score 23pts/game, 4boards, 3assists for Pitt and be an All American (not first team) and All-ACC player, team ends up 9-20 on the year.
B. Score 9pts/game, 1.5boards, 1assist for North Carolina as their 6th man. Make no post season all star teams, but have a good chance to play deep into the NCAA tournament to possibly showcase some clutch shooting distance/etc

UNC without a doubt in this world. Teams could key on him with Pitt. Instead, he'll he a secondary or third option at UNC and get much better looks. I predict he averages 14 PPG

 

[levance2]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...-college-basketballs-best-player-this-season/

Of 100 coaches polled, 2 predicted Cam as the best player in the country for this season. Only 10 players received more votes. Wild.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...-college-basketballs-best-player-this-season/

Of 100 coaches polled, 2 predicted Cam as the best player in the country for this season. Only 10 players received more votes. Wild.

Does anyone really believe Cam belongs in this discussion after watching him play for theee yrs ?
He'll be a nice player for UNC . He'll go a nice university and play in the NCAA . No knock against him he's just not a special player .

 

[NTOP]

i forgot he had two years of eligibility left...i read he was going to be 6th man though?

Read it here...and it was wrong.

 

[DT_PITT]

Does anyone really believe Cam belongs in this discussion after watching him play for theee yrs ?
He'll be a nice player for UNC . He'll go a nice university and play in the NCAA . No knock against him he's just not a special player .

After watching him for three years, I certainly believe he belongs in the discussion.

I think the chances are more that he doesn't make the NBA than he does. But he could easily develop into an NBA player. He's ahead of where Lamar Patterson was at the end of Lamar's RS soph year, and you saw what happened there.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

After watching him for three years, I certainly believe he belongs in the discussion.

I think the chances are more that he doesn't make the NBA than he does. But he could easily develop into an NBA player. He's ahead of where Lamar Patterson was at the end of Lamar's RS soph year, and you saw what happened there.

I usually respect your opinion , but in no way is Cam one of the best college players in the nation .
Cam is a better pure shooter than Lamar , but he missed a lot of crucial wide open shots last yr . Lamars court vision was far better and is/was a far more physical player . The NBA is a mans game . Cams range was better than Sam Youngs , but he's nowhere near the player Sam was and Sam was a journeyman for 5 yrs .

 

[Haydman]

I usually respect your opinion , but in no way is Cam one of the best college players in the nation .
Cam is a better pure shooter than Lamar , but he missed a lot of crucial wide open shots last yr . Lamars court vision was far better and is/was a far more physical player . The NBA is a mans game . Cams range was better than Sam Youngs , but he's nowhere near the player Sam was and Sam was a journeyman for 5 yrs .

Are you comparing the the Sam Young finished college player or the Sam Young with 2yrs of eligibility left? Cam already has better range/shot and he's still developing. I'm not saying he's going to be an NBA star but he did pretty well on a team last year dominated by two seniors that LOVED the ball.

I think the jury is definitely still out Cam's NBA prospects.

 

[DT_PITT]

I usually respect your opinion , but in no way is Cam one of the best college players in the nation .
Cam is a better pure shooter than Lamar , but he missed a lot of crucial wide open shots last yr . Lamars court vision was far better and is/was a far more physical player . The NBA is a mans game . Cams range was better than Sam Youngs , but he's nowhere near the player Sam was and Sam was a journeyman for 5 yrs .

I don't think Cam is one of the best players in the nation. Not yet anyway.

But I do believe he has NBA potential if he keeps developing.

Cam as a sophomore also looked more like an NBA player than Sam Young did as a sophomore. Just like Cam as a soph looked more like an NBA player as Lamar did as a sophomore.

But Sam and Lamar continued to improve and if Cam improves somewhere near the same rate, he'll have an excellent shot at getting an NBA job at some point.

 

[mehinpgh]

The big difference between Sam Young and Cam Johnson is athleticism. Sam was head and shoulders more athletic, could play three positions, and defend two pretty well. Cam has always had to be hidden on the defensive end and athletic wings blow by him and 4's blow through him. How is he going to play defense in the NBA?

 

[Haydman]

The big difference between Sam Young and Cam Johnson is athleticism. Sam was head and shoulders more athletic, could play three positions, and defend two pretty well. Cam has always had to be hidden on the defensive end and athletic wings blow by him and 4's blow through him. How is he going to play defense in the NBA?

Defense in the NBA? Is there any? Seriously, I think Cam can be an average defender and i don't think he was as bad as you make him out to be. Not saying he was stellar but serviceable. Agree Sam was a great athlete but in the NBA he couldn't find his niche. Not sure being able to play 3 positions really helped him. As a 6'7" shooter i think Cam can find a place if he continues to improve.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Defense in the NBA? Is there any? Seriously, I think Cam can be an average defender and i don't think he was as bad as you make him out to be. Not saying he was stellar but serviceable. Agree Sam was a great athlete but in the NBA he couldn't find his niche. Not sure being able to play 3 positions really helped him. As a 6'7" shooter i think Cam can find a place if he continues to improve.

I don't think Cam is one of the best players in the nation. Not yet anyway.

But I do believe he has NBA potential if he keeps developing.

Cam as a sophomore also looked more like an NBA player than Sam Young did as a sophomore. Just like Cam as a soph looked more like an NBA player as Lamar did as a sophomore.

But Sam and Lamar continued to improve and if Cam improves somewhere near the same rate, he'll have an excellent shot at getting an NBA job at some point.

If Cam was a true freshman I'd agree , but he's had three yrs to develop and while not everyone develops at the same pace I personally don't see it in Cams case .
If you can't play defense in the NBA you better score 30 a game .
I hope I'm wrong , but I don't see the athleticism or strength .

 

[levance2]

If Cam was a true freshman I'd agree , but he's had three yrs to develop and while not everyone develops at the same pace I personally don't see it in Cams case .
If you can't play defense in the NBA you better score 30 a game .
I hope I'm wrong , but I don't see the athleticism or strength .

You act like you are personally insulted that anyone likes Cam. Two D-I coaches picked him in that poll. Maybe those coaches are idiots. Oh well. Who cares?

 

[DT_PITT]

If Cam was a true freshman I'd agree , but he's had three yrs to develop and while not everyone develops at the same pace I personally don't see it in Cams case .
If you can't play defense in the NBA you better score 30 a game .
I hope I'm wrong , but I don't see the athleticism or strength .

Recall that Lamar was a redshirt freshman like Cam and Sam went to Prep School for a year after his senior year of high school.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

This is it for sure!

 

[Fsgolfdr]

You act like you are personally insulted that anyone likes Cam. Two D-I coaches picked him in that poll. Maybe those coaches are idiots. Oh well. Who cares?

Why would you suggest that ? I just think he's a good college player , nothing more nothing less . I've watch a lot of guys come and go at Pitt and I just don't see that's he's that special of a talent . NBA players are special . In every sport there's a lot of guys who excel at their current level who never make to the pinnacle league of their sport . Will he play pro ball , sure , overseas most likely .
Remember every week there's hundreds of coaches who claim their next opponent is the best ever don't believe everything you read !

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Recall that Lamar was a redshirt freshman like Cam and Sam went to Prep School for a year after his senior year of high school.

When Sam was a freshman It took me all of three minutes watching the Blue/Gold game to look at the program to see who # 23 was . Every time I watch Cam I want to see more out of him . Maybe Roy can get it out of him .

 

[Ronnyp91]

Could tell during Lamar's redshirt year that he was going to be something good for us (not borderline NBA good) just from looking at his silky smooth shooting stroke. Thought Cam would be develop into something close to that.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

After watching him for three years, I certainly believe he belongs in the discussion.

I think the chances are more that he doesn't make the NBA than he does. But he could easily develop into an NBA player. He's ahead of where Lamar Patterson was at the end of Lamar's RS soph year, and you saw what happened there.

And he's a better shooter and 6'8" tall.

 

[upj87]

A. Score 23pts/game, 4boards, 3assists for Pitt and be an All American (not first team) and All-ACC player, team ends up 9-20 on the year.
B. Score 9pts/game, 1.5boards, 1assist for North Carolina as their 6th man. Make no post season all star teams, but have a good chance to play deep into the NCAA tournament to possibly showcase some clutch shooting distance/etc

C. Average 14 points/6 RBs & 3 assts as a starter for UNC....for 2 years.

D: none of the above because the dude does not have NBA player talent and has no path.

 

[Ski11585]

Defense in the NBA? Is there any? Seriously, I think Cam can be an average defender and i don't think he was as bad as you make him out to be. Not saying he was stellar but serviceable. Agree Sam was a great athlete but in the NBA he couldn't find his niche. Not sure being able to play 3 positions really helped him. As a 6'7" shooter i think Cam can find a place if he continues to improve.

Yes. There is. And this "there's no defense" thing is such a tired, lazy response.

And before you reply, don't bother sending a bunch of videos of Harden or Irving playing bad defense.

 

[Jpripper88]

Why would you suggest that ? I just think he's a good college player , nothing more nothing less . I've watch a lot of guys come and go at Pitt and I just don't see that's he's that special of a talent . NBA players are special . In every sport there's a lot of guys who excel at their current level who never make to the pinnacle league of their sport . Will he play pro ball , sure , overseas most likely .
Remember every week there's hundreds of coaches who claim their next opponent is the best ever don't believe everything you read !

It is pretty obvious you don't watch the NBA or follow the draft and transitions from NCAA to NBA. Cam may not make the NBA at all, but he doesn't have to be "special" to the level you are suggesting. He is going to be a starter at UNC, so he is already "special" vs NCAA comparisons. He just needs to be able to be a good defensive 3 and be able to shoot the 3. That will be enough to get him an NBA roster shot. The NBA has some special players and then it has a lot of role players. Cam is clearly only a possible role player. At UNC he will get to show his ability in that role and won't be keyed on and counted for everything, like he would have been at Pitt. Very smart move for him. Terrible for Pitt.

 

[levance2]

 

[Haydman]

Yes. There is. And this "there's no defense" thing is such a tired, lazy response.

And before you reply, don't bother sending a bunch of videos of Harden or Irving playing bad defense.

Relax Ski it was only a joke. Just seems like there's no D at times. My main point was that I think Cam can be an average defender and could be serviceable in the NBA.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

It is pretty obvious you don't watch the NBA or follow the draft and transitions from NCAA to NBA. Cam may not make the NBA at all, but he doesn't have to be "special" to the level you are suggesting. He is going to be a starter at UNC, so he is already "special" vs NCAA comparisons. He just needs to be able to be a good defensive 3 and be able to shoot the 3. That will be enough to get him an NBA roster shot. The NBA has some special players and then it has a lot of role players. Cam is clearly only a possible role player. At UNC he will get to show his ability in that role and won't be keyed on and counted for everything, like he would have been at Pitt. Very smart move for him. Terrible for Pitt.

By special I don't mean Michael Jordon or LaBron special . Watch the summer league or D league there's a ton of guys who can really play who can't make NBA rosters . What did he do while at Pitt that makes you think he's better than MYoung or Jamel Artis . How about Sam Young or Lamar Paterson . Everyone including myself got carried away with his potential when his former coach was quoted as saying he'd play in the NBA someday . I kept waiting for him to flash that potential and except for a few games here and there he just wasn't special . He was the third best player on a bad team .
I hope he develops at UNC to the player we all thought he was capable of being , but there's nothing he's done up to this point in time for me to think he'll be playing in the NBA .
At this point in time there's 11 former UNC players currently in the NBA .This includes Vince Carter from the class of 98 and two guys from 2005 . Just because you play at UNC doesn't mean your a future NBA player it means your a good college bb player . Your also assuming he's a stater .

 

[Jpripper88]

By special I don't mean Michael Jordon or LaBron special . Watch the summer league or D league there's a ton of guys who can really play who can't make NBA rosters . What did he do while at Pitt that makes you think he's better than MYoung or Jamel Artis . How about Sam Young or Lamar Paterson . Everyone including myself got carried away with his potential when his former coach was quoted as saying he'd play in the NBA someday . I kept waiting for him to flash that potential and except for a few games here and there he just wasn't special . He was the third best player on a bad team .
I hope he develops at UNC to the player we all thought he was capable of being , but there's nothing he's done up to this point in time for me to think he'll be playing in the NBA .
At this point in time there's 11 former UNC players currently in the NBA .This includes Vince Carter from the class of 98 and two guys from 2005 . Just because you play at UNC doesn't mean your a future NBA player it means your a good college bb player . Your also assuming he's a stater .

See, you still don't get it. He doesn't need to be a better "player" than Sam Young either in college or even the NBA. He needs to be able to perform better in a role. He doesn't need to be the better, more well rounded, or explosive player. Sam was 6'6 and more of a 3/4 tweener. He wasn't very good defensively and shot .280 from 3. He had no role in the NBA. He was never going to be a lead dog, so he had to fill a complimentary role. He didn't have one. The same applies to Mike Young, Artis, and Patterson. They have very, very little chance at playing in the NBA because they don't fit well as complimentary players in the NBA and they aren't even remotely close to good enough to ever have the ball in their hands if they are on the court.

You just clearly have a lack of knowledge about the NBA and their draft/rosters.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

See, you still don't get it. He doesn't need to be a better "player" than Sam Young either in college or even the NBA. He needs to be able to perform better in a role. He doesn't need to be the better, more well rounded, or explosive player. Sam was 6'6 and more of a 3/4 tweener. He wasn't very good defensively and shot .280 from 3. He had no role in the NBA. He was never going to be a lead dog, so he had to fill a complimentary role. He didn't have one. The same applies to Mike Young, Artis, and Patterson. They have very, very little chance at playing in the NBA because they don't fit well as complimentary players in the NBA and they aren't even remotely close to good enough to ever have the ball in their hands if they are on the court.

You just clearly have a lack of knowledge about the NBA and their draft/rosters.

We will see won't we !

 

[Jpripper88]

We will see won't we !

But, him not making the NBA (no one is saying it is close to a sure thing) won't prove this discussion wrong. The issue here is you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the NBA and its team structures. It is essentially inconsequential whether Cam Johnson is a better all around player (although I would bet on him being better than the latter 3) than Sam Young, Jamel Artis, Lamar Patterson, or Mike Young because none of them are even considered for roles, which ask them to be close to a complete player. All Cam Johnson needs to do is prove he can be a solid defender and hit the 3 at a high mark and he will have a good shot at making an NBA bench. Artis and Mike Young have absolutely no chance at that and Patterson's chance is very small unless his shot improves greatly and he has improved his athleticism.