Wesley Johnson

Johnson played 68 games for the Clippers last season while dealing with heel and ankle injuries, though wasn’t a big contributor when he took the floor. He played a career-low 11.9 minutes per game and, understandably, produced career lows nearly across the board. Johnson has never been a particularly strong Fantasy prospect. Even in arguably his best season, back in 2012-13, he averaged just 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per 36 minutes and has never averaged over 9.9 PPG and 4.4 RPG in any given season. While he has the ability to play shooting guard through power forward, he’ll likely find himself behind Austin Rivers, Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell in the Clippers’ rotation. There’s a chance that he’ll see an increased workload from last season, but it seems doubtful that would translate into meaningful Fantasy production, especially in year-long formats. Johnson’s Fantasy upside moving forward looks like that of a fringe DFS plug-and-play when the Clippers are dealing with a few injuries.

After brief and unremarkable tenures with the Timberwolves, Suns, and Lakers, Johnson will suit up for the Clippers in his sixth NBA season. The former fourth overall pick averaged 9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 three-pointers while seeing an average of 30 minutes in 76 games played. In 2013-14, Johnson showed some fantasy promise on the defensive end, averaging 1.1 steals and 1.0 block. However, this production dropped to just 0.8 steals per game and 0.6 blocks per game last season. He also saw a minor dip in field-goal percentage, falling from 43 percent in 2013-14 to 41 percent this past year. As he joins the Clippers, Johnson will likely end up buried in a bench rotation that now includes former starters Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith as well as 2013-14 Sixth Man of the Year Award winner Jamal Crawford. While Johnson is a decent and versatile contributor when playing full minutes, he should be a deeper member of the Clippers' depth chart this season.

Wesley Johnson is, in fact, the highest drafted player on the Lakers' roster, picked at number four overall back in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He joined the Lakers last season after being waived by the Phoenix Suns, while still on his rookie deal, which is never a good sign. But, in Los Angeles, Johnson showed that he could play in the league and be a useful fantasy contributor. Johnson was one of only two players (Paul Millsap was the other one) to average one block, one steal, and one made three-pointer last season. He finished his best NBA season averaging 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.0 block, and 1.3 three-pointers, in 28 minutes per game through 79 games. He was a useful contributor in all manner of fantasy formats. Johnson shot 43 percent from the field on 8.2 attempts and 79 percent from the line on 1.0 attempt per game. With Kobe Bryant back, minutes on the wing will be somewhat limited, though. Last season, Johnson even played some power forward, although that alignment seems unlikely this season. He's the assumed starter at small forward heading into training camp but will share minutes with Nick Young throughout the season.

With Kobe Bryant's return still up in the air, Johnson could see a favorable role when the season begins. Although Johnson did miss three preseason contests due to a strained foot, he has been practicing without difficulty and participated in the Lakers' final exhibition game. Johnson saw a decline in minutes last year compared to his 2011-12 season but still managed two more points per game. While Johnson's value may be higher with Bryant sidelined, his productivity in terms of points and rebounds will surely not be enough to provide fantasy owners with consistent output.

Talking about inefficient scorers, Wesley Johnson didn't crack 40% shooting last year and shot just over 30% from three. He's an explosive leaper, but it just doesn't seem like he has the talent to have a featured role in the NBA. Leave him on the waiver wire.

Johnson didn't live up to expectations as the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft as he averaged just 9.0 points per game despite getting 26.2 minutes per game and shot just 39.7 percent from the floor. He'll likely begin the season as the starting shooting guard, but his hold on the job is tenuous. Still, he had games where he showed a spark on offense and his development may have been stunted by playing for the worst team in the league.

Johnson was the fourth-overall pick in the 2010 draft after winning Big East Player of the Year honors during his junior year at Syracuse, though it was actually his first season playing with the Orange. Johnson wasn't aggressively recruited coming out of high school, and played his first two college seasons at Iowa State. He transferred to Syracuse after his sophomore year there; sat out a season, per NCAA rules; and then broke out as a junior. At 6-7, 205 (and with a 7-1 wingspan), Johnson is ideally sized for an NBA wing. He also possesses excellent athleticism, as his 1.8 blocks per game last season suggest. As far as NBA comps go, Johnson profiles a little bit like Luol Deng – good rebounding and block numbers – but with the added advantage of three-point range. The likelihood of him ever being the number one scoring option is low – not for a good team, at least. At press time, Johnson is listed second behind Martell Webster at small forward on the Timberwolves' depth chart. Although Webster has his strengths, there's a good chance Johnson becomes the starter at some point – if not for opening day. A hamstring injury limited Johnson to only a single Summer League game in Las Vegas, though the injury is not considered serious.