When it comes to putting the ball in the hoop, few do it as well as Tre Johnson.
19-year-old Tre Johnson was one of college basketball’s best scorers this year – leading the Southeastern Conference with 19.9 points per game. He joins Jamal Murray, Malik Monk, Ben Simmons, Collin Sexton, Anthony Edwards and Cameron Thomas as the only SEC freshman to average at least 19 pointes per game since the 2014-15 season. Each of those players went on to either make an All-Star team, or average at least 17 points per game in an NBA season – a good sign for Johnson’s future in the league.
His illustrious scoring ability has cemented himself as a surefire lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, with any team in need offense salivating at the chance to select him. If the aforementioned group is any indicator of Johnson’s future success, he’s got a strong chance to be a top three scorer – or better – on his team at the next level.
As complete of a scorer Johnson may be, his defensive skillset has just as many holes to patch. Teams selecting Johnson will need strong defenders around him to help the young scoring machine reach stardom, but which exact teams could that be?
Since trading homegrown All-Star Donovan Mitchell in the 2022 offseason, the Jazz have been without a true first option. 2023 All-Star Lauri Markkanen had a brief moment which a timeline of him becoming the Jazz’s cornerstone appeared, but that has since been washed away, with Markkanen’s scoring and efficiency decreasing in each of the following years.
Johnson stepping in would add an element of self-creation to the Utah offense that’s severely lacked over the course of the rebuild. If the Jazz elected to go that route, he could end up leading the team in scoring for his rookie campaign, similar to Mitchell’s outburst in 2017-2018.
With a defensive anchor like Walker Kessler holding down the paint, Isaiah Collier distributing the ball and complimentary pieces like Markkanen and Brice Sensabaugh spacing the floor, Johnson can take over a low-pressure situation opportunity to become the next Jazz All-Star.
If the Rockets were to keep this pick, Johnson could be a perfect plug-and-play while still having room to grow. The pick may seem redundant to Jalen Green at first glance, but Green’s future with Houston is unclear, and he may be shipped out at some point this offseason.
Johnson can be scaled down to a smaller role when needed, spacing the floor for Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun and any other star the Rockets may add. Wether it’s with the starting lineup next to those two, or a more on-ball role in the bench unit helping to support the scrappy forwards, Johnson can make immediate impact to multiple Rocket units.
Of course, if the Rockets do trade this pick in search for a star, whichever team gets the pick back could very well select Johnson in hopes of replacing one franchise building block with another.
After trading Brandon Ingram at the deadline, the Pelicans are missing some on-ball scoring. Dejounte Murray suffered a torn right achilles that sidelined him for the majority of the 2024-2025 season, CJ McCollum will be 34 at the start of the upcoming season, and Jordan Hawkins has yet to shoot 40 percent from the field, leaving the guard rotation one giant question mark.
The Pelicans have lacked an identity for the majority of the post Anthony Davis era, and Johnson could be a re-do in finding a potential running-mate for Zion Williamson to finally form a successful duo.
Scoring responsibilities would likely fluctuate throughout the year for Johnson, given the Pelicans recent history of injuries. Johnson can have both on and off-ball scoring opportunities with the chance of playing meaningful basketball, helping New Orleans fight for a spot in the play-in or playoffs.
