AJ Johnson

Johnson was born in California and played his senior year of high school basketball at Southern California Academy. Coming out of high school, Johnson was a four-star recruit and initially committed to play college basketball for the University of Texas before de-comitting and opting to play for the Next Stars program in the NBL. He spent the 2023-24 campaign with the Ilawarra Hawks, averaging 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.7 minutes across 26 appearances. Johnson has a close relationship with the No. 2 pick in 2021 NBA Draft, Jalen Green. At 6-foot-5, Johnson has the ideal size and athleticism for a guard at the next level. He flashed the ability to create his shot and has the vision to find open teammates. Defensively, Johnson's length gives him the tools to bother opponents on the perimeter. Johnson's skillset is similar to Jalen Hood-Schifino's due to both having the size and athleticism to operate as combo guards at the next level. Like Hood-Schifino, Johnson will likely need time to develop in the NBA G League before making a true impact in the NBA, as he saw limited playing time in his first taste of professional basketball in the NBL.