In the 2015 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons selected Stanley Johnson with the No. 8 pick.
Johnson would develop the reputation as being a good wing defender, who struggled to find consistent offense.
After four seasons with the Pistons, Johnson would go from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Toronto Raptors.
Johnson was on the Run Your Race podcast and shared the decision on why he signed with the Raptors in 2019:
“I saw Norman (Powell) and O.G. (Anunoby), that they developed them. But for me, I had a conversation with Masai (Ujiri), Niko (Carino), Bobby (Webster), and then just understanding what they bring to the table was an easy sell. Once I got to Toronto where they had real leadership, real direction, and it was more of a college situation, I started figuring out the league a little more.”
During the 2020-21 season, Johnson would appear in 61 games, starting in 13 and continued on sharing why he enjoyed his time in Toronto:
“I really enjoyed myself there. From basketball culture to culture in general, it was two of the most amazing years of my life.”
In those 61 games, he averaged 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 16.5 minutes. The forward was still trying to find his way in the league and Toronto offered him a place to develop.
During that season with Toronto the 6’7″ forward would drop a career high 35 points, shooting 12-22 from the field with six threes.
Johnson was finding his stride and confidence as a player while having those scoring outbursts in Toronto. Out of his five highest scoring games, three of them came with the Raptors.
Johnson after his time with Toronto
After his two short seasons with the Raptors, Johnson would sign a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers late in the 2021-22 season.
Starting in 27 out of 48 games with L.A., he continued to show his tenacity on defense with occasional scoring.
Last season, Johnson appeared in 30 games with the San Antonio Spurs, but only averaged 15.6 minutes.
Now, the forward is waiting to see if he’ll receive a new opporunity for this upcoming season.
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