DeMarco Johnson, a 6'8, 245 lb. power forward from UNC-Charlotte has
shown great improvement in his four years at the school. At 6'8, he may
be undersized for an NBA power forward, but he uses his body very well
and averaged 9 rpg his senior year. He is comparable to Eric Williams
(Providence, Celtics, Nuggets) in his body and ability to make
herky-jerky moves and fakes around the basket to find a way to score.
Senior year showed very good one-on-one ability and quickness with the
ball. Probably outplayed Antawn Jamison in the first round of the NCAA
Tournament, where he along with teammate Sean Colson almost gave
UNC-Charlotte the win.
Has improved himself every year in all aspects of the game and is said
to have a great work ethic. Improved his vertical leap 6 inches from
his junior to senior years. He has very good upside due to his
one-on-one ability and improvement in the medium-range jump shot. He
was a very good scorer in college, but he may have trouble against the
bigger guys in the NBA. Another downer is that he is not extremely
athletic and does not jump particularly well. He relies more on using
his body than his athletic ability. His height could be a limiting
factor in the pros, since he probably won't be able to play the small
forward slot. He has a very suitable frame to bang inside, and with more
weightlifting and conditioning, he could be a very solid and muscular
250 lbs.
Overall, this guy has good potential to make a dent in the pro game.
His game is suited to the NBA, and with continued improvement, which
seems very likely, he could be a nice pickup for a team. He has a nice
touch around the basket and always plays very hard. Could end up being
a very good NBA player in a few years. Look for him to go between
20-30, depending on how well he plays in the predraft camps.
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