Hyunjung Lee
February 20, 2024
AJ Johnson
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 1/12/04
- Place of Birth: Fresno, California (USA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 198
- Weight (KG): 76
- Junior Assoc:
- College:
- NBL DEBUT: 30/09/23
- AGE AT DEBUT: 18
- LAST NBL GAME: 28/02/24
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 19
- NBL History: Illawarra 2024
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: AJ Johnson was born in Fresno, California (USA) and attended Southern California Academy of Sciences.
A quick and shifty combo guard with a long, wiry frame. He is a strong shot creator with effortless bounce, who drew comparisons to NBA players Jalen Green and LaMelo Ball during high school.
NBL EXPERIENCE
AJ Johnson made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
After a glut of player injuries, Illawarra compiled their worst record in NBL history (3-25), the Hawks were looking for a fresh start in Jacob Jackomas‘ second year as head coach.
Thanks to Perth wanting to move on from veteran Todd Blanchfield, and being happy to cover part of his remaining contract, the Hawks were able to acquire him in a buy-out. With an eye towards the future, young talent Mason Peatling (via Melbourne), Biwali Bayles (via Sydney) and former Adelaide 36ers development player, Lachlan Olbrich (via NCAA) were signed. At the same time, Korean shooter Hyunjung Lee was signed using the NBL’s ‘Asian player’ rule and NBA prospect AJ Johnson, who had previously committed to the University of Texas, was brought in under the NBL’s Next Stars Program.
AJ can fly ????@Bucks first-round round draft pick AJ Johnson made some incredible plays in NBL24 ????
Enjoy his best plays ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/u4fykqjCqQ
— NBL (@NBL) July 7, 2024
Import Justin Robinson, who managed just one game before suffering a season-ending injury in 2022, returned to full health, and NBA veteran Gary Clark signed as the team’s third import. Long-serving import Tyler Harvey, captain Sam Froling and guards Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, William “Davo” Hickey and Daniel Grida returned as the Hawk’s core group.
Illawarra showed promising signs during the pre-season, but once the regular season got underway, Illawarra seemed to revert to its old ways, continuing to produce disappointing losses.
Despite solid performances on the court from the likes of Clark (17 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), Froling (15.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) and Harvey (15.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals), Illawarra struggled to find its foot early in the season. Hyun-Jung and Peatling began the year under an injury cloud.
By October, the Hawks were sitting at 2-4 with wins against South East Melbourne and Cairns. Illawarra suffered two more brutal defeats in the next month against Sydney and Cairns, which resulted in the team and Jackomas parting ways. Whilst the Hawks looked for a replacement, assistant Justin Tatum stepped up as interim coach.
Once Tatum arrived, they were able to turn things around and won four of their next six games. A knee sidelined Grida (5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.4 assists) after ten games, but thanks to the emergence of Will Hickey (5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and the signing of former South East Melbourne guard Kyle Adnam as an injury replacement, the Hawks continued to their winning form without missing a beat.
Despite the challenges, the Hawks continued to deliver wins under Tatum, and a late-season charge saw Illawarra finish the regular season in fourth place (14-14).
Illawarra saw a massive improvement in scoring. In the 2022/23 season, the Hawks ranked last for average points with 80.8 points per game. However, this season, they increased their offensive output to 91.6 points per game, enough to finish fourth in the league.
After making the play-in tournament, Illawarra would lose to Tasmania (92-76) in the opening game but turned things around to defeat New Zealand in a nailbiter (88-85), which earned them a spot in the semi-finals against Melbourne.
In game one, despite a solid first half by the Hawks, United would make a dramatic comeback, forcing the game into overtime and won the opening game 115-106.
Illawarra levelled the series, pushing it to a decider after defeating United in a thriller by five points. However, the Hawk’s dream run came up short, missing a Grand Final berth by six points.
Clark would deliver several big-time offensive performances, including his season-high 38 points against Cairns, which saw him voted as the Hawk’s Club MVP and be selected to the All-NBL First Team.
????????'???? ???????????? ???????????????? ????
The @illawarrahawks have added projected 2024 NBA lottery pick AJ Johnson as a Next Star for #NBL24 ???? pic.twitter.com/0NOopIoqB2
— NBL (@NBL) April 13, 2023
At the time of signing with the Hawks, AJ was projected to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, with ESPN’s latest ranking listing him as the 13th selection.
AJ Johnson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 2.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 26 NBL games.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Where will the high-flying Hawk land? ????
AJ Johnson is predicted by many to be selected in the first round of next week’s @NBA Draft ????
Check out his official mixtape ???? pic.twitter.com/5UhCqqKfDX
— NBL (@NBL) June 17, 2024
Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 19 | Illawarra | 14-14 (4) | 26 | 201.0 | 74 | 33 | 18 | 7 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 19 | 29 | 79 | 37% | 9 | 30 | 30% | 7 | 13 | 54% | 43% | 42% | 11 | Totals | 26 | 201 | 74 | 33 | 18 | 7 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 19 | 29 | 79 | 36.7% | 9 | 30 | 30.0% | 7 | 13 | 53.8% | 44% | 42% | 11 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 19 | Illawarra | 14-14 (4) | 26 | 7.7 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 37% | 0.3 | 1.2 | 30% | 0.3 | 0.5 | 54% | 43% | 42% | 11 | Total | 26 | 7.7 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 36.7% | 0.0 | 30.0% | 0.3 | 1.2 | 53.8% | 44% | 42% | 11 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 11 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
COLLEGE
Johnson, had originally committed to join Texas and coach Rodney Terry, but he changed course to pursue the professional pathway via the Illawarra Hawks and the NBL.
Related
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