Charlotte Hornets add B.J. Johnson to summer league roster
The Charlotte Hornets continue to add to their summer league team with the latest addition being undrafted rookie B.J. Johnson.
According to Mike Jensen of the Philadelphia Inquirer, B.J. Johnson will play for the Charlotte Hornets‘ summer league team in Las Vegas this year. The former La Salle guard/forward went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. He will now look to make a name for himself during the summer league.
Despite not being drafted, Johnson did receive some interest from NBA teams as he worked out for the Sacramento Kings and the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the 2018 draft. Charlotte did not bring in B.J. for a pre-draft workout.
The 22-year old started his college career at Syracuse University but transferred to La Salle after two years with the Orange. He went from being a role player at Syracuse to being a star for the Explorers. B.J. did test the NBA waters after his Junior year but did not hire an agent and ultimately decided to return to school.
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Johnson had an impressive Senior campaign at La Salle as he averaged 20.8 points per game, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 44.6% from the field, 35.9% from three and 86.9% from the free throw line. Not only did he lead the Explorers in points but he also led them in rebounds and was second in steals.
B.J. ranked third in the Atlantic 10 Conference in points per game, fourth in rebounds per game and fifth in free throws made.
At 6’7, Johnson has good size for next level. He is a versatile player who can play both wing positions. B.J. is a proven scorer and a tenacious rebounder. The Philadelphia native recorded seven double-double’s during his Senior year, scored 10+ points in all 27 games and had 17 games of 20+ points.
He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and a top-100 player in his class.
Johnson will join fellow undrafted rookie Gabe DeVoe on Charlotte’s summer league squad. Miles Bridges, Devonte Graham, Malik Monk, Dwayne Bacon and Willy Hernangomez will also play for the Hornets this year.
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It will be interesting to see if B.J. can maintain his scoring output at the next level. If he can showcase his scoring ability well enough in Las Vegas, Johnson could earn a roster spot with the Charlotte Hornets or another NBA team. There’s no question that he is a talented scorer but he must prove other parts of his game this summer.