Excellent Research Report on Jayce Johnson

[Herman Cain]

An excellent research report done by Mr. Dodds on Jayce Johnson. Interviewed some the close followers of Utah. This is part 1 of the report:

https://247sports.com/college/marquette/Article/Scouting-report-on-Jayce-Johnson-131987720/

https://247sports.com/college/marquette/Article/Jayce-Johnson-132330216/

[Jockey]

Well written report. My favorite quote is:

"They  sources have me permission to use their comments but only if I quoted them anonymously."



Virtually no offensive game, whatsover. Maybe a 10 minutes/game type player?

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Virtually no offensive game, whatsover. Maybe a 10 minutes/game type player?

Not sure where you got that in this article.

Still don't know how Jayce is going to factor into this lineup. He's a better rebounder than Theo. A worse defender. And I would put his offensive game slightly above Theo's. If Ed gets moved to the 4, I could see Jayce splittling time with Theo almost evenly.

[Nukem2]

Not sure where you got that in this article.

Still don't know how Jayce is going to factor into this lineup. He's a better rebounder than Theo. A worse defender. And I would put his offensive game slightly above Theo's. If Ed gets moved to the 4, I could see Jayce splittling time with Theo almost evenly.

The interview is from John Dodd’s. 

[Markusquette]

The interview is from John Dodd’s.

He said in, not who wrote the article.

[Jockey]

Not sure where you got that in this article.

Still don't know how Jayce is going to factor into this lineup. He's a better rebounder than Theo. A worse defender. And I would put his offensive game slightly above Theo's. If Ed gets moved to the 4, I could see Jayce splittling time with Theo almost evenly.

“On the offensive side of the ball, he is more of a player who is valuable as an offensive rebounder.  He scored most of his points after offensive rebounds on put backs.  There were very few sets in the Utah offense that were designed for him.  He was not a particularly good passer – so you didn’t see him getting the ball a lot in the post – just when he fought and was scrappy for the offensive rebound.”


That makes it sound like his offense is not even as good as Theo's or Ed's.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

So because he was good at scoring off offense rebounds and Utah didn't run sets for him he has virtually no offensive game? Personally, if a guy is an elite offensive rebounder and converts those offensive boards into points, I'm pretty happy with his offensive game.

Also, as usual, the eye test of a single fan is very flawed. Roughly 1/3 of Johnson's points came on offensive rebounds. A percentage for most players but far from the most recalled by the random Utah fan. Jayce did a lot of damage by posting up opponents and on cut plays to the basket.

My reaction was mostly to your 10 minutes per game comment. If Jayce averages 10 minutes a game next season, one of two things has happened. Either Jayce has regressed or the rest of the team is a lot better than expected and is demanding his minutes.

[jonny09]

As I mentioned when we first signed him.  Do not have massive expectations. Seems like a fine young man, but his offensive skill set is very limited.

[MU82]

The line that most caught my eye:

I think Marquette fans are going to like him.  He can be frustrating to watch on the offensive side of the ball because he is not polished as an offensive player.  Jayce is a guy who is easy to like when you watch how hard he plays.

That is what I am expecting from him: Play hard, with a lot of energy, grab rebounds, play D, any offense is a bonus.

If he ends up being more of an offensive contributor for us, I will be pleasantly surprised. If not, I will appreciate the other things he brings to the table, not the least of which is more depth at a position where depth matters.

Glad Jayce is a Warrior.

[NorthernDancerColt]

The line that most caught my eye:

I think Marquette fans are going to like him.  He can be frustrating to watch on the offensive side of the ball because he is not polished as an offensive player.  Jayce is a guy who is easy to like when you watch how hard he plays.

That is what I am expecting from him: Play hard, with a lot of energy, grab rebounds, play D, any offense is a bonus.

If he ends up being more of an offensive contributor for us, I will be pleasantly surprised. If not, I will appreciate the other things he brings to the table, not the least of which is more depth at a position where depth matters.

Glad Jayce is a Warrior.

You’re no wee willie.....82, where you get off having any hint of positivity in the morning?

[BCHoopster]

Bottom line, MU needed a body, he is it, good or bad.  He is 7 feet, that alone is good enough for me with about a 10 and 10 at Utah the last month of the season.
Thats not bad.  He will give MU some depth inside, where Theo and Morrow love to foul.  He helps!

[GooooMarquette]

The line that most caught my eye:

I think Marquette fans are going to like him.  He can be frustrating to watch on the offensive side of the ball because he is not polished as an offensive player.  Jayce is a guy who is easy to like when you watch how hard he plays.

That is what I am expecting from him: Play hard, with a lot of energy, grab rebounds, play D, any offense is a bonus.

If he ends up being more of an offensive contributor for us, I will be pleasantly surprised. If not, I will appreciate the other things he brings to the table, not the least of which is more depth at a position where depth matters.

Glad Jayce is a Warrior.

Sounds similar to Matt, but with more defense and boards. As others have said, he likely backs up Theo at the 5 with Morrow getting more minutes at the 4.

I'll take that.

[tower912]

With Koby and Greg, there are going to be more opportunities for the bigs.   Not necessarily from the post ups, but from the dump offs.   In the Murray St game, Markus whistled a pass right past Theo's head because Theo's hands weren't up.      This year, all of the post players had better have their hands up.   And then go up strong.   

[Jockey]

So because he was good at scoring off offense rebounds and Utah didn't run sets for him he has virtually no offensive game? Personally, if a guy is an elite offensive rebounder and converts those offensive boards into points, I'm pretty happy with his offensive game.

I think we might be talking apples and oranges here, tAMU. I was referring to him being in the offensive flow of the game plan. He does not seem to be a guy where you call plays for him. He has no outside shot and he's not a guy you can dump the ball in down low ala Luke Fischer. And if it is sent in to him down low, he does not pass well out of the post - less than 1/3 of 1 assist per game.

He's also not a shot blocker for his size - less than 1 per game.

I hope I'm wrong, but he appears to be a taller, slightly better version of Matt Heldt. I don't know where his minutes will come from as he is not as good as Theo.

[The Thing]

I think we might be talking apples and oranges here, tAMU. I was referring to him being in the offensive flow of the game plan. He does not seem to be a guy where you call plays for him. He has no outside shot and he's not a guy you can dump the ball in down low ala Luke Fischer. And if it is sent in to him down low, he does not pass well out of the post - less than 1/3 of 1 assist per game.

He's also not a shot blocker for his size - less than 1 per game.

I hope I'm wrong, but he appears to be a taller, slightly better version of Matt Heldt. I don't know where his minutes will come from as he is not as good as Theo.

I think I can live with a taller, slightly better version of Matt Heldt.

[PGsHeroes32]

I don’t expect him to take Theos minutes. And really hope he doesn’t.

But when Theo inevitably gets in foul trouble, someone has to pick up those minutes. And I hope Jayce can do that solidly.

If Theo transforms into a guy who doesn’t follow. He would get most of the minutes

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I think we might be talking apples and oranges here, tAMU. I was referring to him being in the offensive flow of the game plan. He does not seem to be a guy where you call plays for him. He has no outside shot and he's not a guy you can dump the ball in down low ala Luke Fischer. And if it is sent in to him down low, he does not pass well out of the post - less than 1/3 of 1 assist per game.

He's also not a shot blocker for his size - less than 1 per game.

I hope I'm wrong, but he appears to be a taller, slightly better version of Matt Heldt. I don't know where his minutes will come from as he is not as good as Theo.

I consider offensive boards to be within the flow of the game plan. It's a boon to be able to throw up a shot and know you have a pretty good shot of getting a second chance if you miss it.

Johnson averaged 1.1 blocks a game last season and was in the top 150 in the country in block%. He's not elite like Theo but he's a capable shot blocker.

I wouldn't say he's not as good as Theo yet. Theo's the better defender, Jayce is the better rebounder, and I think Jayce has the slightly better offensive game. I don't know how he fits because of Ed. I'm not sure how they are going to fit all three in there. If Ed moves mostly to the 4, I could see Theo and Jayce splitting time equally at the 5.

[Jay Bee]

He's also not a shot blocker for his size - less than 1 per game.

I don't understand the relevance of per game statistics. Do you not care how many possessions he played?

Anyway, he'll block shots. He's at around 6% for his career and never under 5.5% in a single season. That would have been #2 the past two seasons behind elite Theo John.

[Cheeks]

I consider offensive boards to be

Thought for sure Buckyville or MUScoop was coming next after that

[NorthernDancerColt]

Thought for sure Buckyville or MUScoop was coming next after that

Or “ACT & SAT” if you’re Felicity Huffman.

[Jockey]

I consider offensive boards to be within the flow of the game plan. It's a boon to be able to throw up a shot and know you have a pretty good shot of getting a second chance if you miss it.

Johnson averaged 1.1 blocks a game last season and was in the top 150 in the country in block%. He's not elite like Theo but he's a capable shot blocker.

I wouldn't say he's not as good as Theo yet. Theo's the better defender, Jayce is the better rebounder, and I think Jayce has the slightly better offensive game. I don't know how he fits because of Ed. I'm not sure how they are going to fit all three in there. If Ed moves mostly to the 4, I could see Theo and Jayce splitting time equally at the 5.

Hoping you are right and I am wrong.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Thought for sure Buckyville or MUScoop was coming next after that

Ha! Well played

[Dawson Rental]

Sounds similar to Matt, but with more defense and boards and offense. As others have said, he likely backs up Theo at the 5 with Morrow getting more minutes at the 4.

I'll take that.

FIFY

Matt averaged under a point a game.

Guys are talking like our offense ran thru the post last year.

Last year this guy averaged 7.1 points a game compared to Theo's 5.5 and Ed's 5.6.
At the very least, we lose nothing offensively with Jayce on the floor, likely we get a slight offensive uptick, particularly from offensive rebounds.

Defensively, we lose blocks compared with Theo, but gain better positional defense.  Anybody remember the main knock on Theo's defense last year?

Bottom line, it's not a quantum leap, but we're better in the post next year than we were last year.  Probably significantly better when trying to defend a team playing two bigs.

[panda]

JJ is twice the player Matt is. Certainly not a slight to Heldt, just the truth.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Defensively, we lose blocks compared with Theo, but gain better positional defense.  Anybody remember the main knock on Theo's defense last year?

Even though I've been on the pro-JJ train in this thread, I wouldn't say this is true. JJ wasn't a great positional defender at Utah, Theo was much better across the board on defense except for rebounds.