Can Jackie Johnson bring instant offense to UNLV backcourt?

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Monday, May 16, 2022 | 2 a.m.

UNLV got little offensive production from its point guards last season. Senior Jordan McCabe was the starter and averaged 6.4 points in 30.3 minutes, while freshman Keshon Gilbert chipped in 2.6 points in 14.3 minutes.

Part of that may have been by design, as shooting guard Bryce Hamilton clearly served as the focal point of the offense and took the most shots, but the Scarlet and Gray still could have benefitted from improved shooting at the point (McCabe and Gilbert combined to make 33.7% of their shots and just 31.1% from 3-point range).

In the final game of the season, a 59-56 loss to Wyoming in the Mountain West tournament, McCabe and Gilbert combined for five points in 44 minutes.

It makes sense, then, that Kevin Kruger’s first addition this offseason came in the form of an offensive-minded point guard.

Jackie Johnson was exactly that at Duquesne last season. As a freshman, the 5-foot-11 lefty mostly came off the bench and served as a microwave scorer, averaging 9.5 points in just 19.4 minutes per game. More than any of UNLV’s point guards last season, whether it be McCabe, Gilbert or Marvin Coleman before he was kicked off the team, Johnson showed an ability to light it up; he scored 27 points on two separate occasions and blew up for 30 in a March 2 contest against George Washington.

So, how does Johnson manage to rack up so many points? As you might imagine with a player of his height, he relies on quickness to set up the rest of his offensive arsenal.

Johnson’s first step is very fast and decisive, and he knows how to use not only his quickness, but also deceleration and change of direction to weave through traffic on his way to the basket. He’s very effective at putting the ball on the floor and beating his man off the dribble, something only Hamilton could do consistently for UNLV last season.

Much of Duquesne’s gameplan when Johnson was on the court was to spread the floor, give him the ball and let him break down the defense:

Analytics back up Johnson’s effectiveness on the dribble drive; 37.6% of his shots came at the rim last year, a higher rate than anyone on UNLV save for big man Royce Hamm (51.4%) and Gilbert, who turned down all almost jumpers in favor of driving (51.9%).

Johnson’s quickness is also evident in the open court, where he gets up to speed almost immediately and can pull away from opposing defenders with ease:

One clear disadvantage of attacking the rim so much is Johnson’s height. Duquesne generously listed him at 5-foot-11, and he’s not a high flyer. That means most of his attempts in the paint are going to be contested, tough finishes.

Johnson made 57.3% of his close-range attempts, which is a moderately good rate. He augments that by getting crafty and drawing more than his share of fouls:

The other main aspect of Johnson’s offensive game is outside shooting. He is not shy about letting it fly from deep — we’re talking shots from well beyond the arc — and because of his quickness off the dribble, defenders tend to sag off and give him those looks.

Johnson cashed in to the tune of 37.3% from 3-point range (41-of-110); among Scarlet and Gray players, only Donovan Williams (43.6%) and Royce Hamm (38.6%) made a better percentage, and they attempted way fewer triples than Johnson.

Having a mad bomber like Johnson has it’s advantages. He can make long shots off the dribble, on the catch or coming off screens:

As you can probably tell from that clip, Johnson is, shall we say, enthusiastic about shooting the ball. He came into games launching with zero conscience, and eventually ended up leading Duquesne in usage rate and shot attempts per 40 minutes.

That approach does not always sit well with teammates. Take a look at this sequence, as Johnson jacks up three 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in overtime of a close game:

On the second play, you can clearly see Duquesne teammate Primo Spears at the bottom of the screen, first urging Johnson to move the ball to the top of the key, then throwing his hands up in exasperation when Johnson chucks the shot. Spears then communicates his displeasure to the Duquesne bench.

Johnson was a gunner last year, there’s no two ways about it. Some of that could be blamed on the situation at Duquesne, where chaos reigned and the team appeared to be largely uncoached. It doesn’t have to be a fatal flaw moving forward, but it’s an aspect of his game that Kruger and his staff may have to work with Johnson on improving.

Defensively, Johnson is operating at an inherent disadvantage due to his height. He can’t contest shots, but he at least showed the willingness to move his feet and stay in front of his man. And his quick-burst ability allowed him to get his hands on more balls than you’d expect from a player with his length deficiency:

With that said, Johnson still posted a steal rate (2.0%) that was lower than both Gilbert (5.0%) and McCabe (2.2%), so expecting any significant impact on the defensive end is probably asking for too much.

Defense doesn’t seem to the motivating factor behind adding Johnson, anyway. All of UNLV’s other transfer pulls this offseason have been plus defenders, and given the team’s offensive struggles at point guard last year, it may not be a bad idea to roster someone who can come in, hit a couple 3-pointers, drive for a bucket and juice the scoreboard.

Judging by Johnson’s play last year, he’s more than capable of doing that.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.