Trust in our project: SUBSCRIBE to our exclusive services or say thank you for our work HERE
BORN: 14/10/1999
LAST TEAM: Indiana Hoosiers (NCAA)
HEIGHT: 191 cm
WEIGHT: 91 kg
PRO
- Defensive effort
- Leadership
- Experience
WEAKNESSES
- Some injury
- FT% (68.8% in ‘23/24)
- Declining college career
VIDEO
INTRODUCTION
Xavier Johnson is a combo guard from Indiana. In his long college career, he played for three years at Pittsburgh (where he was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team), then transferred to Indiana for the remaining three seasons (with one redshirt year). Some injuries (e.g., a broken foot in ’22/’23) have hindered his growth, with his scoring average dropping from 15.5 points per game in his freshman year to 7.6 in his final college year – clearly, his role and the volume of shots/offensive responsibilities have changed, in addition to becoming the team captain.
Regarding his characteristics, Johnson can play both guard positions, although he is certainly more dangerous with the ball in his hands rather than off the ball. He is not a primary playmaker (averaging 2.8 assists in ’23/’24, but he reached 5.7 in his final year at Pittsburgh), yet he manages the game in an orderly/basic manner. At Indiana, partly due to injuries (only 31 games in the last two years), his offensive responsibilities and initiatives have been halved. He is not a pure shooter, but his three-point shooting percentages are good (36.7%). He handles offensive transitions well and can also attack the basket directly. His pick-and-roll game is decent.
On the defensive end, he is undoubtedly an excellent perimeter defender (even averaging 0.8 steals), bringing an effort that allows him never to lose confrontations with opponents in terms of energy.
In summary, we can underline that Johnson’s level is not what was shown in the last season (due to injuries), but he has the potential to return to being a more prolific offensive player.