Mavericks' forgotten youngster is making his benching harder to justify

One of the underlying sweeteners of the Dallas Mavericks' Anthony Davis trade was landing 21-year-old guard AJ Johnson, and while Johnson has found it difficult to crack Jason Kidd's rotation, he's been hooping in the G League for the Texas Legends recently. Johnson has an interesting build, as he's 6-foot-5, but is extremely wiry and only weighs 160 pounds, which has caused him to struggle at times given the physicality and strength many NBA players possess.

However, Johnson is extremely athletic for a guard his size, both as a leaper and with his speed, and he has great finishing ability that could be further harnessed if he can add some size to his frame en route to being able to attack more physical defenders. Before being recalled by the Mavericks yesterday, Johnson averaged 19 points and three assists per game with shooting splits of 47.7/31.8/80.0 through four games with the Legends recently, including a 30-point game.

Johnson was the 23rd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but his lack of outside shooting and physicality has hindered him from reaching his ceiling thus far in the NBA. The good news is that he'll be entering just his third season next year, and still has plenty of time to develop into a solid player. Johnson's team option for next season was already exercised by the Washington Wizards before the Davis trade, so he's on Dallas' books for $3.3 million next season.

AJ Johnson isn't out of the picture yet

While Johnson may not project as a true point guard due to his lack of playmaking at this stage in his career, he can still be a solid hybrid guard if he improves upon the aforementioned areas of 3-point shooting and adding some size on his frame, and he's showed some dynamism attacking the rim in a few short stints of playing time with Dallas this year.

Right now, Johnson is essentially playing the same role Jaden Hardy was in Dallas before Hardy was shipped to Washington, and it's undeniable that Dallas would rather have a younger and more potential-filled prospect like Johnson instead of Hardy, even if Johnson is far more raw than someone like Hardy.

Mavericks fans have been fairly disappointed with Johnson's lack of involvement in the rotation since he joined the team, as the team has nothing to play for at this point in the season besides pride, yet Jason Kidd insists on rolling out the most competitive lineup possible in every single contest.

Dallas needs to loosen the leash on AJ Johnson

This can be seen as admirable and ethical in terms of not outright tanking, which Mavericks fans can appreciate, but Kidd definitely should try to play some of the young guns like Johnson more down the final stretch of the season. Johnson will be on the roster at the start of next season unless he's traded during the summer, and given that he's the only young asset from the Davis trade, Dallas should focus their attention on developing him to see what he can turn into.

Obviously, Johnson may not be ready to be a major player in the rotation come night one of the regular season next season, but Dallas' coaching staff could definitely spare him a few more minutes as the season winds down, even if they keep losing games in an honorable and ethical fashion more so than not.

Playing Johnson at Summer League this year would also be a smart bet, as that could help him evolve his playmaking and shooting in low-stakes competition, while having the ball in his hands more than he likely ever will with the main squad.