OKC Thunder ink Dakari Johnson to 2-year guaranteed deal

The long journey of Dakari Johnson finally nets benefits as the OKC Thunder ink the center to  2-year guaranteed deal.

GM Sam Presti continues to shore up the OKC Thunder roster, this time adding Dakari Johnson to a guaranteed 2-year contract. As per usual with Sam Presti’s management group the financial portion of the deal was not disclosed with the announcement.

For Johnson it’s been a long journey to finally reach his ultimate goal of landing on a varsity NBA roster.

The former Kentucky Wildcat dreams began when the OKC Thunder selected him 48th in the 2015 draft class.  For the 7′ center however, the work had only just begun. At the time of his draft Johnson was just 19 years old. Like most young centers he needed seasoning and more experience. That came via two seasons spent in the D-League with the Oklahoma City Blue (the Thunder G-League affiliate).

Two years of growth with the Blue:

Johnson reveled in his two years with the Blue. In his first season he was named to the All-Rookie team. In his inaugural season Johnson played 50 games with averages of 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks on 53 percent shooting.

With both Steven Adams and Enes Kanter clogging up the center position the Thunder brain trust decided another season in the G-League was warranted. Johnson thrived in his second year as the starting center with the Blue. In 49 games he averaged 18.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks on 55.6 percent shooting.  During the 2016-17 season Johnson made his mark in the now renamed G-League.

2016-17 Achievements:

Of note, this past season Johnson ranked:

2nd field goals made

4th free attempts

8th free throws made

9th total points

5th offensive rebounds

9th total rebounds

9th offensive rebound percentage

8th defensive ranking

6th defensive win shares

2nd total win shares

7th PER

9th total blocks

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Johnson capped off his sensational season by being the youngest player selected to the NBDL All-Star Team and making First Team All NBDL. The questions heading into the offseason were how much Dakari had developed and whether the Thunder were ready to add him to the roster.

Summer League Success:

These questions were quickly dispelled at the Orlando Summer League event where he averaged  18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 57 field goal percentage.

Will Brewer outlined Johnson’s success in Orlando and dove in to the growth the big man has made.

"In this recent stints with the Blue and for the Thunder summer league team, Johnson has improved his footwork and added skill that has allowed him to expand his game outside of the paint. Johnson has also shed some weight and it has shown in the way he runs the floor. Defensively Johnson showed that he understands the right spots to be on pick-and-rolls and to be a big body that can change shots in the paint."

OKC Thunder add Johnson to varsity roster  – what’s next?

The key to Thursday’s news is the 2-year deal is guaranteed. That means the OKC Thunder are committed to Johnson. Beyond that, you can never go wrong with a 7 foot player on your squad. Johnson obviously falls behind Adams and Kanter on the depth chart. Additionally, if OKC chooses to play small ball they could move Patrick Patterson to center and Paul George to power forward. March Madness will offer three of the four big men further common ground as Kanter, Patterson and Johnson are all former Wildcats.

There will always be rumors and speculation revolving around Enes Kanter’s future with the OKC Thunder. Kanter represents the teams most tradeable reserve asset But, conversely is beloved among his teammates and within Oklahoma City. Ultimately, Johnson provides GM Sam Presti with the leverage he needs if and when the time arises to move Kanter.

Clearly, his continual growth led to the contract. Furthermore, at 21, the center offers a tangible asset who can grow within the current roster.  Dakari Johnson represents the perfect role model for hard consistent effort. And for that, Johnson can now add dream maker to his bio because he channeled them into his reality.