Tre Johnson could be the best pure scorer in the 2025 NBA Draft, but is it enough for him to find lasting success?
At the top of the 2025 NBA Draft is Cooper Flagg, and then beyond that is a long list of talented, but not franchise-altering, players. Yes, players like Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, and Derik Queen have high NBA upside, but their ability to put the franchise on their back is not the same as Flagg’s.
That said, whichever teams lose the NBA Draft Lottery will still have plenty of talent to pick from, and teams that want the purest bucket-getter possible will have to line up for Tre Johnson, who led the loaded SEC in scoring in his freshman season.
The Texas Longhorns got bounced in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament by Xavier, but Johnson shot a solid four-of-seven from 3-point range and finished with 23 points, cementing his status as a top prospect in 2025. Here’s a deeper look at everything fans need to know.
- Age/Date of birth: 19 (March 7, 2006
- Nationality: American
- Height/weight: 6-foot-6, 190lbs
- College: Texas Longhorns
- Career stats: 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 42.7 FG%, 39.7 3PT%
- NCAA Tournament stats: 23 points, 2 assists, 6 rebounds, 0 steals, 42.9 FG%, 51.7 3PT%
- Career highs: 39 points (vs. Arkansas), 9 rebounds (vs. Kentucky), 6 assists (vs. Oklahoma)
- NBA comparison: Cam Thomas
He can score, score, and score some more. He led the SEC with 19.9 points per game, which is no easy feat given that Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky are all in the conference. He can score from midrange, he can score from deep, he can score in the paint.
He can also score off the dribble or as a stationary catch-and-shoot threat. When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s going to shoot the rock.
He takes good care of the ball, too. His usage rate of 29.1% and his turnover percentage of 9.2% are elite. The only NBA players to post a usage rate over 25% and a turnover percentage under 10% (while playing 25 minutes a game) are seven All-Stars: Miles Bridges, Jonathan Kuminga, Franz Wagner, Norman Powell, and CJ McCollum. That’s not bad company to keep.
The only active players with better numbers than Johnson are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, and Anthony Davis.
Of course, Johnson doesn’t rack up turnovers simply because he doesn’t pass very much, but if you want someone who can rack up points with the best of them, he’s your guy.
In college, Johnson may have been a ball-hog. In the NBA, he won’t be the best player on his team, so he will need to learn to pass. He usually takes fewer than five dribbles before getting to his spot and shooting, so if defenses quickly collapse on him and he can find the open man, he will be deadly, but he needs to prove that he can first.
He also doesn’t draw much contact, which is fine in college when he’s trying to preserve himself for the pros, but in the NBA, a player like him will live at the free-throw line, and he hasn’t proven his ability to do that yet.
His ball-handling is fine, but he might struggle to be a lead guard at the highest level and would do best with a true point guard next to him.
He also isn’t a freak athlete or particularly strong. Even though he boasts a 6-foot-10 wingspan, there are very real concerns about his defensive impact, meaning he will need to be paired with someone who can defend.
Either he can be a score-first backcourt player like Devin Booker has been, or he can be a bench star like Jordan Clarkson. It will all depend on which skills he adds to his repertoire, but teams that look to draft him will mostly be interested in his scoring.
He would fit in best with teams that either have a solid defensive identity and need some offensive help, like the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, or Minnesota Timberwolves, or he could join a team with a solidified starting unit and be a microwave sixth man, like the New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, or Indiana Pacers.
Of course, Johnson is expected to be a top-15 pick, and most of those teams listed won’t even get a shot to select him. With teams near the top of the draft, the San Antonio Spurs could use him off the bench behind Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox, or the New Orleans Pelicans could slot him in as an eventual CJ McCollum replacement.
However, both the Pelicans and the Spurs will have their sights set on a top-three pick, although one of the best scorers in the country isn’t a bad consolation prize for slipping down the lottery.
