The Chicago Bulls selected two players in the first round during the 2009 NBA Draft: James Johnson with the 16th overall pick, and Taj Gibson with their 26th overall pick.
At this point, it is safe to say that Taj Gibson has shown Bulls fans that he was clearly the best player taken by the Bulls in the first round that year.
When James Johnson came out of Wake Forest in his sophomore year, many looked at him as an athletic Small Forward who had a developing jump-shot. Many scouts thought that Johnson fell in the 2009 draft, however, the reason that he fell was his work ethic.
Many saw Johnson as a slacker in college, and those doubters were smiling after hearing that Johnson came to Bulls training camp last season out of shape.
Throughout the season, Johnson saw his playing time fluctuate. At the beginning of the season, Johnson played regularly and was one of the first players off the bench. However, his poor defense and lack of an outside shot cut into much of his playing time.
Taj Gibson, on the other hand, has been viewed as a worker and played very tough defense for the Bulls last season. His mid-range jump shot was a ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Shams Charania
James Johnson: Why Hasn’t The 16th Overall Pick Panned Out?
September 11th, 2010 by Shams Charania Leave a reply »
Advertisement