Darius Johnson-Odom – 2018-19 G-League Player Profile

June 20th, 2019

Darius Johnson-Odom

SG – 6’1, 220lbs – Born 28th September 1989

   Iowa Wolves   

Prior to his return this season, Johnson-Odom had been away from the G-League for four years. The vast majority of that time had been spent in Italy, where he had been amongst the country’s highest scorers, leading it outright last season with Vanoli Cremona. Johnson-Odom always has been and always will be a scorer, a prolific one by volume as well as efficiency. Of that, there has long been no doubt.

Johnson-Odom gets his points in pretty much every way conceivable. He is a ball-dominant player by trade, but if ever he is run off the ball, he has a very good spot-up shot he can use. When on the ball, he also shoots off the dribble, albeit not as well, yet he is primarily looking to get beyond the first line of the defence and make things happen. Johnson-Odom is very strong for his small size, and without having the greatest speed, he also pushes the ball wherever he can. If you need someone to get you a basket, he is always a good bet – he can drive both ways, finishes extremely well at the basket with his very strong upper body, makes excellent reads and never wavers in his confidence. Johnson-Odom, simply, is a workhorse.

Given his size, DJO is always going to be a defender of point guards. Or at least, he should be. Playing alongside Jonathan Stark and Marquise Moore this season saw him play a lot of shooting guard, a position well suited to his offensive game yet one at which he gives up a significant degree of size. It is thus not a surprise that he was an overall net negative as a defensive player considering that the Kellen Dunhams of this world can just shoot over him, and others who slash can just keep going at him, hoping to get him in foul trouble.

At the NBA level, these things would only be exacerbated further. In his prime years, DJO does not have upside anymore. The NBA window is closing as a result. But know that Johnson-Odom is absolutely and definitely an NBA calibre scorer.

– 20th June, 2019

• This above is extracted from the following page in the The Basketball Manifesto, an entirely free 3,775 page, 1.2 million word-ish basketball reference book which contains reviews, strategies, ideas, opinions, and a whole lot of scouting on men’s world basketball.

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