Before Casey Jacobsen suited up in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns and had a standout professional career oversees, he was a star for the Stanford Cardinal and had a big decision to make regarding his future.
After his junior season, he decided to forgo his senior year in college and pursue his dream of the NBA knowing that his draft stock might never be higher. A reality and decision that Arizona Wildcats freshman Stanley Johnson had to make this past week after his announcement to leave Arizona for the Draft after his freshman season.
All situation’s are different but having gone through the process, Jacobsen looks at Johnson’s decision and believes he made the right one.
“If you are going to be a top-10 pick, that’s a lot of money to turn down,” Now Fox Sports 1 and Pac-12 Network Analyst Jacobsen told Sports360AZ.com. “To return to Arizona, you could possibly get injured, if your stock doesn’t go up, you could possibly lose out on millions of dollars.”
“If I were him, I would be coming out as well,” he added. “Im not sure why he waited so long because I’ve known all along that he was going to be a top-10 pick.”
Having been part of a number of Arizona’s broadcasts this season, Jacobsen has seen Johnson up close and believes that an aspect of Johnson’s game outs him well ahead of the vast majority of prospects that will be in the 2015 Draft.
“I do think he translates well to the NBA,” Jacobsen explained. “It’s because the best thing he does, is physically overwhelm people and he can and will do that at the NBA level.”
“He is ready physically which is half the battle,” he mentioned. “I would say that about 75% of the guys who will be drafted are not physically ready for the NBA. Their skills set might be ready and they do certain things well, but Stanley Johnson is in that rare category where physically, he’s not going to have to worry.”
With that being said, Johnson has areas that he will need to improve upon if he is going to reach what many believe is a very high ceiling.
“He has a lot to work on with his ball-handling and his three-point shooting,” states Jacobsen. “Teams are going to back way off of him and make him beat them with outside jumpers.”
Johnson will begin the NBA Draft workouts in the coming weeks in preparation for the 2015 NBA Draft which will happen on Thursday, June 25th.
