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AJ Johnson Has Future All-Star Potential With Wizards
Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

AJ Johnson Has Future All-Star Potential With Wizards

Originally posted on The Lead  |  By Brandon Walker  |  Last updated Apr 25, 2025 3:40 PM ET

The Washington Wizards completed its season with an 18-64 record, which is bad enough for the second-worst record in the league, ahead of only the Utah Jazz.

Although it was a painful season as far as the win-loss record is concerned, which is to be expected on a team amid a full-scale rebuild, its 2024-25 rookies have stepped up and improved, especially during the second half of the season, with rookies Alex Sarr, who is in the running for NBA Rookie of the Year Honors; Bub Carrington, who has averaged 9.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game; and Kyshawn George, who has brought in value throughout the season as a long defender on the wing and has averaged 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. 

However, at the trade deadline, the Wizards added one more player who came on during the second half of the season.

That is AJ Johnson, who came along in a four-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that brought in veteran forward Khris Middleton, cash considerations, and the right to swap a 2028 first-round pick for Kyle Kuzma and a 2025 second-round pick. Washington also acquired the draft rights to Mathias Lessort from the New York Knicks. 

AJ Johnson’s Production 

Johnson, 20, was the No. 23 pick, one pick ahead of George, and spent most of his time with Milwaukee with its G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. He did not get consistent minutes in the Wizards’ rotation until the injury to Bilal Coulibaly at the beginning of March. In 22 games (11 starts) with the Wizards, he has averaged 9.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists over 27 minutes per game. 

At 6-foot-5, Johnson possesses a 6-foot-11 wingspan, playmaking ability, a shifty handle, and the ability to make shots from anywhere on the floor. He scored a career-high 20 points on March 27 against the Brooklyn Nets. In their final game of the season, he recorded a career-high eight assists in a win over the Heat. 

What The Media Is Saying About Johnson 

Milwaukee made the Kuzma-Middleton swap with hopes of competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and, to a lesser extent, the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference. Kuzma has a championship pedigree, fills a bigger immediate need, and is younger than Middleton, who has been injury-prone in the past few seasons. 

However, his production and consistency have been up and down in his time with the Bucks, and even produced the iconic quintuple-zero game in the Bucks’ first-round series opener with the Pacers. 

Grantland’s NBA expert Zach Lowe spoke about Johnson’s potential on a recent episode of The Bill Simmons podcast, thinking that the Wizards may have gotten a steal in the trade. 

“I hate to say it, the AJ Johnson kid in Washington who got tossed into that Kuzma trade with Khris Middleton … He’s got something, man,” Lowe said. “Like, people, the draft picks all were like, this dude is a monster athlete. He’s got something. And now he gets to play because if you’re on the Wizards roster and you’re healthy, you now get to play. Yeah. And he’s got some stuff.” 

Many Bucks fans were sad to see Johnson go.

Johnson Modeling His Game After Thunder Star

Johnson can be compared to a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a few ways. That might sound crazy, but there are similarities between the two players.

Both players are bigger combo guards, have long wingspans, are capable scorers from anywhere on the floor, and have good handles. 

Johnson himself said that he models his overall game after the Thunder star.

He still has a long way to go to become an NBA MVP favorite, but he has tremendous potential that Milwaukee sacrificed. If Johnson continues along this trajectory, then the Wizards will win this trade long-term by a landslide. 

You can follow Brandon on all social media platforms: @bwalkerdadon.

This article first appeared on The Lead and was syndicated with permission.

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