2021 Recruiting: Samson Johnson senior year mixtape

[UconnU]

videos of a tall kid mostly dunking in high school are aboot as insightful as saying wasps are most likely to sting you on a hot and hazy summer day. ie, duh.
i do however, really like his seeming potential to greatly expand his natural talents into a force, so im all in on shimshon hagibor ('samson the mighty'). just keep him far away from a hair stylist, as sometimes they can really mess up ur braids.

It’s not about any of that. It’s about his body structure, fluidity, the way he moves for his size. Usually 6’11/7’4 kids move a little goofy or awkward. He moves ideally, like a wing or even a guard. If you wanted to turn him into a “freak” type player you may be able to. It’s just super rare. Usually you get the body type Majok or Curtis Kelly at that size. He has the body type of Marcus Johnson. That’s why I made the Mobley comp. I mean he is a little skinny right now but you can add some muscle to his frame.

 

[UconnU]

5*s don't generally struggle to score consistently at the high school level.

Ya'll need to realize I'm not saying he isn't a good player with a high ceiling. I'm saying some people are setting unrealistic expectations. There's a good chance he's playing deep on the bench behind Sanogo/Springs/Whaley/Rese/Akok at the 4/5 (though I do think he will play before Springs and who knows with Akok).

I'd like to know how many people on this thread have seen him play a 32-minute game and not just a highlight reel.

I don’t think he’s as raw as you think he is. Watch the tape he keeps the ball high in the post, catches the pass in shooting position on the perimeter, knows when to look for the lob, stays vertical on defense. He won MVP of the slam game, he had a double-double and 6 blocks against elite competition. I see him as a day 1 rotation piece.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I thought I loved Samson Johnson until I read some posts about him on this board. He can be a nice contributer as a freshman, but Evan Mobley is in another tier of athlete, not just skill level.

 

[Huskyforlife]

I don’t think he’s as raw as you think he is. Watch the tape he keeps the ball high in the post, catches the pass in shooting position on the perimeter, knows when to look for the lob, stays vertical on defense. He won MVP of the slam game, he had a double-double and 6 blocks against elite competition. I see him as a day 1 rotation piece.

He's raw in the sense that you can't run any offense through him. He probably won't be a consistent shooter as a freshman. We have no idea how he'll pickup our defensive scheme, or his ability to rebound(more important if he plays the 5). The only guarantee is his ability to catch lobs and run the floor. Just dont be hard on him if someone like Richie, who has 2 years on him, beats him out in the rotation.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

5*s don't generally struggle to score consistently at the high school level.

Ya'll need to realize I'm not saying he isn't a good player with a high ceiling. I'm saying some people are setting unrealistic expectations. There's a good chance he's playing deep on the bench behind Sanogo/Springs/Whaley/Rese/Akok at the 4/5 (though I do think he will play before Springs and who knows with Akok).

I'd like to know how many people on this thread have seen him play a 32-minute game and not just a highlight reel.

No I didn’t mean to come off saying he was a 5 star or an immediate big contributor. I just was saying raw talent and untapped ability usually leads to a bump in rankings. The sure thing steady guys are usually passed by a lot of them.

 

[husky429]

I don’t think he’s as raw as you think he is. Watch the tape he keeps the ball high in the post, catches the pass in shooting position on the perimeter, knows when to look for the lob, stays vertical on defense. He won MVP of the slam game, he had a double-double and 6 blocks against elite competition. I see him as a day 1 rotation piece.

You seriously only watched his highlight video?

He made two post ups in that video, both of which he brought the ball to his crotch. That isn't his game and shouldn't be--it's not how he'll play in the NBA.

I'll give you he is ready on the catch for his shots. There's no doubt the skills trainers at TPS are excellent. That jumper and gaining weight are his ticket to an NBA contract.

Right now on offense all we know is he can catch a crapton of lobs and run the floor, and hit an occasional 3 off the catch.

 

[UconnU]

He's raw in the sense that you can't run any offense through him. He probably won't be a consistent shooter as a freshman. We have no idea how he'll pickup our defensive scheme, or his ability to rebound(more important if he plays the 5). The only guarantee is his ability to catch lobs and run the floor. Just dont be hard on him if someone like Richie, who has 2 years on him, beats him out in the rotation.

You don’t need to be able to run offense through a player in order for them to be effective. We don’t run any offense through Whaley for example. He has looked good in the PnR as well with St. Ps. Kid is legit. I wholeheartedly disagree that he’s more raw than Akok was. He may be newer to the game but he’s learned fast. Noticeably higher IQ in recent tape. He’s learned how to use his skills effectively.

 

[UconnU]

You seriously only watched his highlight video?

He made two post ups in that video, both of which he brought the ball to his crotch. That isn't his game and shouldn't be--it's not how he'll play in the NBA.

I'll give you he is ready on the catch for his shots. There's no doubt the skills trainers at TPS are excellent. That jumper and gaining weight are his ticket to an NBA contract.

Right now on offense all we know is he can catch a crapton of lobs and run the floor, and hit an occasional 3 off the catch.

No, I watched a bunch of St. Ps tape and the slam game. I’m telling you the kid isn’t all that raw anymore. He’s noticeably more skilled now than he was when he committed. The only knock I really have on him is that he still avoids contact too much, needs to be a little more physical at this level.

 

[husky429]

No, I watched a bunch of St. Ps tape and the slam game. I’m telling you the kid isn’t all that raw anymore. He’s noticeably more skilled now than he was when he committed. The only knock I really have on him is that he still avoids contact too much, needs to be a little more physical at this level.

The slam game isn't an indication of anything. It's a showcase. I've also watched some of his games. He's getting better quickly, but I don't think you have a good take on what a "skilled" player is. We're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

[UconnU]

The slam game isn't an indication of anything. It's a showcase. I've also watched some of his games. He's getting better quickly, but I don't think you have a good take on what a "skilled" player is. We're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one.

Showcases are generally offensive, have lots of scoring, he was easily the best defender on the court. He had 6 blocks. I mean his development is why he moved up the rankings so fast. He’s a top 40 player, our highest rated recruit since AG. He’s not coming here to sit.

 

[husky429]

I mean his development is why he moved up the rankings so fast. He’s a top 40 player, our highest rated recruit since AG. He’s not coming here to sit.

People would take you more seriously if you didn't misrepresent your arguments. You sound like Jake W.

He's a top-40 player on ESPN--that's it. Lower ranked than our other recruits on every other major ranking service, I believe.

 

[superjohn]

Everyone seems to forget about Akok's ranking or doesn't know how rankings work.

 

[T-Squared]

Yeah, but can he dunk?

 

[karstenkibbe]

videos of a tall kid mostly dunking in high school are aboot as insightful as saying wasps are most likely to sting you on a hot and hazy summer day. ie, duh.
i do however, really like his seeming potential to greatly expand his natural talents into a force, so im all in on shimshon hagibor ('samson the mighty'). just keep him far away from a hair stylist, as sometimes they can really mess up ur braids.

Shimshon HaGibor... impressive ivrit skills!

 

[Palatine]

What was Okafor's rating coming out of high school. How long did it take him to make an impact?

What's impressive bout Samson is that his video is NOT all dunks. Watch him run down the court. Watch him move side to side. Watch him shoot from the outside. Look at his timing on defense.

 

[ToolzieFan]

What was Okafor's rating coming out of high school. How long did it take him to make an impact?

What's impressive bout Samson is that his video is NOT all dunks. Watch him run down the court. Watch him move side to side. Watch him shoot from the outside. Look at his timing on defense.

He was rated 99th, but is that really a fair comparison? He’s not only the best big man we’ve ever had, he’s also probably the player who outperformed his ranking the most (maybe Shabazz?). I’m a fan of Johnson. He should eventually be an impact player. I’m just not sure it’s going to happen immediately.

 

[Incursio007]

Excited for Samson Johnson! Thinking he’s a solid rotational piece out the gate, but he has the frame/upside to be a star & potential lottery pick down the line. Plus perimeter skill set for a big & a fantastic athlete, with great length. Looking forward to seeing how he develops alongside Sonogo, Whaley & (hopefully) a healthy Akok.

 

[SportsFan88]

People would take you more seriously if you didn't misrepresent your arguments. You sound like Jake W.

He's a top-40 player on ESPN--that's it. Lower ranked than our other recruits on every other major ranking service, I believe.

To be fair by the end of this recruiting cycle he will rise on every recruiting ranking site. Most in the industry see him ending up in that top 50 range. But as we know s*** like that don’t matter half the time regardless. I like the ability and upside I see from him. As I said previously I see even higher upside and more talent than Akok at the same stage

 

[HuskyHawk]

Everyone seems to forget about Akok's ranking or doesn't know how rankings work.

Anybody expecting Johnson to beat out both Akok and Whaley needs to re-examine their thought process. It wouldn't surprise me if Akok is the best player on the team next year. That injury was just so unfortunate for him and the program.

 

[Huskyforlife]

Anybody expecting Johnson to beat out both Akok and Whaley needs to re-examine their thought process. It wouldn't surprise me if Akok is the best player on the team next year. That injury was just so unfortunate for him and the program.

The best player on the team? That would most definitely be surprising. He's not even a starter going into the year.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The best player on the team? That would most definitely be surprising. He's not even a starter going into the year.

He's probably the most talented and athletic guy on the roster. If not for the injury, he would certainly have been a starter last year. I don't know what is likely, but it's possible he puts it together and dominates.

 

[Huskyforlife]

He's probably the most talented and athletic guy on the roster. If not for the injury, he would certainly have been a starter last year. I don't know what is likely, but it's possible he puts it together and dominates.

Most talented? Debatable. Most athletic, Jackson by a significant margin.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Showcases are generally offensive, have lots of scoring, he was easily the best defender on the court. He had 6 blocks. I mean his development is why he moved up the rankings so fast. He’s a top 40 player, our highest rated recruit since AG. He’s not coming here to sit.

This is Exhibit A as to why kids end up getting crushed on this board as disappointments. It's because people have no idea how to extrapolate college freshman production based on high school highlight videos and pickup games.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Most talented? Debatable. Most athletic, Jackson by a significant margin.

I meant the combination of talent and athleticism. Jackson could also take that step and be the guy. We don’t really know.