Jan 13, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson (44) shoots the ball against the Missouri Tigers in the second half at Rupp Arena. The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Missouri Tigers 86-37. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Dakari Johnson
C (Kentucky – Sophomore)
19.7 years old | 7’0″ | 265 pounds
Talented seven-footers are a rare commodity.
Dakari Johnson bumped his free throw percentage to a respectable mark from year one to year two at Kentucky (44 percentage his freshman season to 63 percentage last season), but failed to carve out a larger role for himself (his minutes only went from 14.1 to 16.3).
It’s tough for any young big to average less than 20 minutes per game and only four field goal attempts per game. With those kind of numbers you barely break a sweat in games and you can’t get into a groove on the offensive end.
Still, there’s a lot of potential there, and it will be interesting to see which NBA team drafts Johnson. If he lands with a franchise that is willing to be patient and develop him, then he could turn into a huge steal.
If not, he might end up like Daniel Orton, who ironically also played at Kentucky, who possessed heaps of talent, but couldn’t find a long-term role in the NBA.
Next: J.P. Tokoto