truhooper
04-21-2016, 08:52 PM
http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2016/4/20/11452156/nba-playoffs-pistons-vs-cavs-stanley-johnson-lebron-james-detroit-vs-everybody
Endearing himself to a proud city and exuding an air of confidence that could breathe life into any draft pick, Johnson elaborated on expectations from Van Gundy and himself, mentioning LeBron James in the process.
"Coach Van Gundy wants me to be a dog, like I am. He wants me to bring the competitive energy like LeBron (James)."
If I had to guess, Johnson added LeBron's name in there himself. Van Gundy's honest, but it seems unlikely even he would tell a 19-year-old draftee he would like him to bring anything like The LeBron James, except maybe a headband, because admittedly James is the rarest of basketball breeds and you'd be setting the kid up for almost-inevitable disappointment.
I don't know for sure -- maybe Van Gundy did use LeBron's name as some sort of reach for the moon, fall among the stars motivational tactic -- but it doesn't really matter, because Johnson's been well-prepared for and welcomes the greatest of challenges.
When Johnson was a freshman at Arizona, Johnson attended LeBron James' Skills Academy in Vegas and voluntarily checked James on D, and held his own, as an 18-year-old. In fact, Stanley Johnson deactivated LeBron's chill mode months before Tobias Harris did. On playing LeBron, Johnson said, "Anytime people think there's a player in the gym who's better than me, that's who I wanna play against."
Johnson brought up James again unsolicited after being asked what it was like to play his buddy Justise Winslow in the NBA Summer League. "Play against LeBron [James], that means something," Johnson said flatly. "He is the best player in the league and I want to be the best player in the league too, so I have a target on him."
Endearing himself to a proud city and exuding an air of confidence that could breathe life into any draft pick, Johnson elaborated on expectations from Van Gundy and himself, mentioning LeBron James in the process.
"Coach Van Gundy wants me to be a dog, like I am. He wants me to bring the competitive energy like LeBron (James)."
If I had to guess, Johnson added LeBron's name in there himself. Van Gundy's honest, but it seems unlikely even he would tell a 19-year-old draftee he would like him to bring anything like The LeBron James, except maybe a headband, because admittedly James is the rarest of basketball breeds and you'd be setting the kid up for almost-inevitable disappointment.
I don't know for sure -- maybe Van Gundy did use LeBron's name as some sort of reach for the moon, fall among the stars motivational tactic -- but it doesn't really matter, because Johnson's been well-prepared for and welcomes the greatest of challenges.
When Johnson was a freshman at Arizona, Johnson attended LeBron James' Skills Academy in Vegas and voluntarily checked James on D, and held his own, as an 18-year-old. In fact, Stanley Johnson deactivated LeBron's chill mode months before Tobias Harris did. On playing LeBron, Johnson said, "Anytime people think there's a player in the gym who's better than me, that's who I wanna play against."
Johnson brought up James again unsolicited after being asked what it was like to play his buddy Justise Winslow in the NBA Summer League. "Play against LeBron [James], that means something," Johnson said flatly. "He is the best player in the league and I want to be the best player in the league too, so I have a target on him."