La Salle Explorers: B.J. Johnson declares for the NBA Draft
By Chuck Booth
The La Salle Explorers could possibly be losing a key contributor if B.J. Johnson is drafted.
The La Salle Explorers had a disappointing season but they were expected to return all of their key contributors next season except the graduating Jordan Price. That group would be expected to compete for the Atlantic 10 title but today it took a large blow.
Redshirt junior guard/forward B.J. Johnson decided to declare for the NBA draft but he will not hire an agent leaving the door open to return to college if things don’t work out. It was a surprising declaration but one that means a lot to the La Salle Explorers. Johnson was their leading scorer on the year averaging 17.6 points per game while providing a strong rebounding presence averaging 6.3 rebounds per game. Alongside Price, Johnson was a key cog in the high scoring Explorer’s attack and he also brought the thunder on the defensive end.
In a press release by La Salle athletics, Johnson gave the below statement on declaring for the draft,
"“My goal is to play the game I love professionally,” Johnson says. “This decision will give me the opportunity to test myself, better myself and receive important feedback in pursuit of this goal.”"
Losing Johnson would be significant for the Explorers as there is no clear replacement for him on the roster but the chances that he doesn’t return to school are slim. Johnson likely declared to get a feel for NBA camps, to see where his value may lie on draft boards, and to figure out what parts of his game that he needs to work on next season.
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Johnson has an NBA body standing at 6’7″ and weighing 200 pounds but he’s not polished enough to make it yet. He’s prone to streakiness because sometimes he’ll fall off of his release point but these are things that he’ll work on to improve his draft stock for the future.
If Johnson can display the dominance that he flashed this year on a consistent basis he could be an intriguing prospect next year but it isn’t his time yet. The best move for Johnson and the La Salle Explorers is for him to attend the NBA Combine which takes place on Mar. 15 and then return to school for his senior season.
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After the combine, Johnson will have 10 days to decide on if he would like to hire an agent or go for it and pursue the draft. As of now, all signs point to returning but a strong combine could change everything.