About Kade
Expert Analysis
Paul Hernandez | Prep Hoops Scout
The 6-foot-4 wing/guard has a smooth jumper, is active on the glass, has improved as a playmaker, and does a solid job of picking his shot spots. Johnson had a solid showing against South Bakersfield, going for 10 points and a pair of steals, as the Drillers would have 8 players in the scoring column. Johnson has a smooth handle, uses the crossover, between-cross, behind-cross, hesitation, and toss-cross to create space from his defender, gets great lift on the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line with efficiency, loves to get to the elbows, and has great body control through contact in the air to square his body up. Johnson uses the Euro-step, reverse, and up-and-under lay-ups to evade shot blockers, and has shown improved play making ability with his decision making and court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, up the court off the defensive glass, and cross-court to open shooters when the defense over-crowds one side of the court. Versatile defender that has the wingspan and lateral quickness to deflect passes or jump passing lanes to get out in transition.
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Read EvaluationPaul Hernandez | Prep Hoops Scout
Johnson is coming off a stellar performance at the Lloyd Williams Shootout that resulted in his team winning the tournament championship, as well as Johnson earning tournament Most Valuable Player, as well as my overall event Most Outstanding Player. The 6-foot-4 combo guard showed his 3-level scoring abilities and elite shot-making in the 3 games I watched him in person, going for 29 points connecting on 3 threes, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals, followed by 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in wins over Del Oro and Garces Memorial of Bakersfield respectively. As if those games were not enough to display his scoring arsenal, Johnson would cap the event off with a monster showing in the championship game, going for 35 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals to lead the Drillers to a 85 to 70 win over Centennial of Bakersfield. Johnson has solid handles, uses the crossover, behind cross, between cross, and hesitation to get his defender off balance, uses his long strides and wiggle to get by his initial defender, hunts the mid-range jumper with great lift and accuracy off the bounce, and gets into the paint with the use of the Euro-step or reverse lay-ups, as well as touch on the floater down the lane. Johnson showed improved accuracy with the 3-ball coming off the ball screen, in transition, or moving off the ball to get open looks off the catch, and quality decision making with the ball in hand and the court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, the slip pass to teammates in the dunker spot or in the middle of the paint, and up the court off the defensive rebound. Johnson is a solid on-ball defender, has the lateral quickness and active hands to disrupt the flow of opposing perimeter players, and had some dazzling dunks throughout the 4-day event. Johnson did all he needed to do at the Lloyd Williams Shootout to show that he is the top player in the 661 and he is capable of leading the Drillers in a run to earn a top seed in the D2 Section playoffs, and challenge Bakersfield Christian for rights to top squad in the South Valley.
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Read EvaluationPaul Hernandez | Prep Hoops Scout
Johnson has been on a tear since the Spring club ball season started through our recent Junior/Senior Showcase a few weekends ago, and he continued to show he is one of the best pure scorers in the Section this weekend at the Fall Varsity Showcase at Liberty High School. Johnson is a lengthy and athletic guard/wing that can score in volume, and is a capable 3-level scorer that continues to gain confidence from deep. Johnson has a smooth handle, uses the crossover, the behind the back cross, the between cross, and the toss cross to create space from his defender. He gets great lift on his jumper with accuracy from the mid-range to the 3-point line, has great body control when contacted on the jumper by his defender, the hangtime to square his shoulders in the air, and the ability to stop on a dime and knock down perimeter shots consistently. Johnson uses the pumpfake to get his defender off the ground, the handle and long strides to get into the paint quickly off the bounce, and can finish with creativity around the basket, or throw it down when he gets a good burst off speed off the wing. Johnson plays the passing lanes well to get deflections, is a solid positional rebounder to push the ball up the court, and has good court vision to find open teammates when on the attack. Flat out gets buckets and looks to have an MVP type season.
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Read EvaluationPaul Hernandez | Prep Hoops Scout
Johnson has established himself as one of the top pure scorers in the Central Section, and he had his full scoring arsenal on display out the gate in the opening game of the Junior/Senior Showcase. Johnson scored 25 points in the opening game of the showcase, and highlighted his ability to impact the game on both ends of the court. Johnson has a solid handle on the ball, plays with good pace and flow when sizing up his opponent, has a quick first step off the bounce to get by his defender, gets good lift on the jumper with accuracy from the mid-range to the 3-point line, keeps his dribble alive to weave through the defense, has nice touch on the floater, and is a creative finisher on shots around the basket, with improved body control through contact. Johnson impressed with improved defensive awareness and good timing to use his length to jump passing lanes and get out in the open court. He is doing a better job of using his length to alter shots on the perimeter, as well as deflect shots coming from the weak side. Johnson is tough to defend when he is hunting the mid-range jumper, which he connected on numerous times at the showcase.
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Read EvaluationPaul Hernandez | Prep Hoops Scout
Johnson led the Drillers in scoring this past season and has continued to expand his overall scoring arsenal, as was evident by his play in June, and in particular at the recent scholastic live period event in SoCal. The 6-foot-3 wing/guard has a solid handle, makes good use of the crossover and hesitation moves to create space from his defender, gets good lift on his jumper, and has improved his efficiency from the 3-point line to be a true 3-level scoring threat. Johnson is at his best when he is hunting the mid-range shot, as he has the moves to weave through to defense, and is nearly automatic from the elbows with the jumper. Johnson moves well off the ball, has a good understanding of spacing to get open looks off the catch, and looks to attack the basket when his defender over pursues, with a nice touch on finishes around the basket. Johnson is solid on the boards, improving as a perimeter defender with a long wingspan, and will be one of the top scorers in the Section this coming season.
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