NBA
#11 – Cameron Johnson – Phoenix Suns
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
In the first real stunner of the evening, the Phoenix Suns (via the Minnesota Timberwolves) drafted North Carolina senior forward Cameron Johnson. Some mock drafts had Johnson slotted as low as the second-round of the draft. Johnson was the center of a lot of pre-draft chatter as his draft stock seemed to be rising leading up to today. However, not many (if anyone) saw Johnson going quite this early in the draft.
In Johnson, the Suns have acquired a tall, lengthy wing who can space the floor with his outside shooting. The Suns focus is to build a team around Devin Booker and center DeAndre Ayton. Both players thrive with the ball in their hands and Johnson projects to be a valuable addition and floor-spacer. Johnson needs to show that he can stay healthy after a hip issue affected his 2018 collegiate campaign.
The number 11 pick originally belonged to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves traded the pick to the Phoenix Suns in a trade for the sixth overall pick. The trade also saw forward Dario Saric go the Suns as well. In a separate trade, the Suns also jettisoned forward T.J. Warren. With Warren gone and the roster in flux, Johnson is in a favorable position to provide complementary value in the near future.
The Suns have notable young talent but there are still questions surrounding Phoenix’s rebuild efforts. Drafting Johnson this early in the draft won’t do much to stop others from questioning Phoenix’s roster rebuild.
