Trey Johnson

Trey Johnson - Long time cusp player and big time scorer Johnson is unsigned, perhaps uninspired by the thought of another D-League season and waiting for a European offer. Last year, Johnson ranked 5th in the Italian league with a 16.4 points per game scoring average for Angellico Biella, yet despite his proven scoring credentials, he continues to wait for a significant NBA opportunity. Turning 30 next summer, it is one that might not now be coming.

Trey Johnson - Johnson is arguably the best player in the D-League. He certainly leads it in scoring, averaging 25.6 points per game, and adding 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists to along with it. Despite the name, Johnson doesn't just cast up three pointers; in fact, he's not even especially good at them. But every other part of his offensive game is fluid, effective and complete. He can drive, create his own shot, finish around the basket, hit any kind of jumpshot from the mid-range, get to the line, isolate from the wing, run the break, lead the break, and even play some point guard. He is no athlete and not much of a defender, but he scores big and he scores efficiently, and is big enough (6'5-6'6ish) to play in the NBA. Trey has had a couple of looks in the big league, and has played in it on ten day contracts with the Cavaliers. But he should probably have had more than that by now.

Johnson is similarly a scoring specialist, who last year in the D-League was pressed into playing some point guard. He responded, averaging 21.3 points and 7.1 assists per game, including a 20 point 20 assist night. For a man who had never played significant point guard minutes before, this was impressive. It also earned him a call-up to Italian team Angellico Biella, for whom he averaged 11.5ppg in the final 4 games of the season. Johnson is talented and on the cusp of the NBA - he certainly has Chris Paul's vote. But that's why it's perhaps surprising that he has opted to play for a team where he's very unlikely to make the cut.

- Clinton Fihnoir Johnson III

Chris Paul favourite Trey Johnson (as he's known) started the year in France, playing for BCM Gravelines Dunkerque Grand Littoral. Or, as Vinny Del Negro calls them, Dunkurt. He averaged 8.8 points per game in the France league and 11.3 points per game in the EuroChallenge, before leaving the team at the end of January. After a month on the shelf, Johnson returned to the D-League to play for the Bakersfield Jam, for whom he is averaging 19.4 points and a very uncharacteristically high 7.9 assists per game. Included in that was a 20 point 20 assists game in only his second game for the team, a game in which he also had only 2 turnovers. This actually happened. For a career scorer like Johnson, this is quite the welcome surprise.