NBA Comparison: Maceo Baston/Hakim Warrick

Strengths: A long, tall forward with good scoring instincts … Is a legit 6’10" in shoes with a long 7’2" wingspan … Has very impressive leaping ability with unusual explosiveness for a big man … Tied for having the highest maximum jump reach in the 2011 NBA Draft Combine, getting as high as 12’1.5" … Frequent target for ally-oops and lob passes … Very agile and mobile … Has the speed to play the small forward position at the next level … Really improved his scoring ability every year he was at school … Has a smooth and refined turnaround jumper, which is very difficult to defend due to his length … Has shooting range out to around 18 feet from the basket … Has become a real threat in the post … Nice-looking hook shot from the left side of the rim, with a soft touch and a high release point … A factor on the offensive glass, gets a lot of tip-ins and put-backs … Great free throw shooter (80.9%) that gets to the stripe a lot (209 attempts in 2010-2011) … Moves his feet well on defense … Big-time shot blocker, averaging 2.3 per game … Had a successful 4-year career at Purdue …

Weaknesses: Lacks bulk … Doesn’t appear to have the frame that can support much more weight in the future … Gets pushed around when trying to defend players in the post … Offensively he prefers to play in the post, but there are questions about whether this will translate to the next level where just about every power forward will be bigger than he is … Will have trouble establishing and maintaining good position down low … Somewhat of a tweener … Doesn’t have the strength of a power forward, but doesn’t have the perimeter skills of a small forward … Poor ball-handling ability … Cannot create offense for himself on the perimeter … He isn’t the rebounder that someone with his size and athleticism could be …

Overall: Johnson is an NBA athlete, but there are questions regarding his position and skill-set … Does he have the frame to support more weight? Can he hold his own in the post against bigger players? … If a team is confident that he’ll be able to contribute, he could find a spot in the late-1st round …

Tyler Ingle 6/17/11

Strengths: A lean, athletic forward who thrives in the open floor … A superior athlete with excellent length, leaping ability and body control … Also a force defensively using his 7-foot plus wingspan to register over 2 blocks per game … His offensive game has shown steady improvement (15 ppg as a junior) … Solid and consistent from the line at over 70% …  Has developed a righty jump hook shot … Gets a lot of dunks off of ally oops … Quick off his feet … Good fluidity. Runs the floor well … Came into Chicago adidas Nations camp in August looking bulked up (possibly in the 225 lbs range). Shoulders appear to be rounding out some … Plays with good energy. High motor … Mature person off the court (senior) who will enter the league with a degree …

Weaknesses:  A tweener. Although he has the length to play either forward position, his lack of strength inside and skills on the outside makes him a tweener for the NBA level … Weight appears to be a long term issue for him. He has not been able to put on significant weight in his time at Purdue … Wears an undershirt which appears to hide his lack of strength in his shoulders … He lacks the frame/body type to put on substantial weight and carry it without limiting his athletic ability … His lack of weight keeps him from being an imposing rebounder and throw down dunks over defenders as often as he should. Defenders are able to push him out of the paint and bully him around the basket … Despite adding weight over the summer, he may not be able to retain it throughout a basketball season … Still needs to become better at creating offense for himself, both on the perimeter and especially in the paint. His post moves have shown some improvement but he lacks offensive polish … Knocks down the occasional mid-range shot but must expand his range and improve his consistency … Passing ability is average at best … Lacks great ball handling ability to create offense for himself … The majority of his offense comes from transition baskets, rebounds, and shots within 5 feet of the basket … His 50% FG shooting for a post player is evidence of his lack of offensive skill with so many of his baskets coming off of dunks and easy buckets …

Notes: One of the top senior prospects in the country. Along with Robbie Hummel and E’Twaun Moore, forms a formidable Senior trio at Purdue…

Aran Smith 10/5/10