Dakari Johnson is already proving why OKC bet on him
By Tony Heim
The offseason doesn’t stop the OKC Thunder from reaching out to the community. Oklahoma City’s newest player learned that Wednesday afternoon.
The NBA is one of – if not the greatest – professional sports league in terms of community involvement. Not only do individual players make a point to help the less fortunate, entire organizations work to uplift the area where they reside. Few do it better than the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With 42 days left until the regular season opener, the Thunder have already began their community outreach. The newest member or OKC, Dakari Johnson, visited Capitol Hill Elementary on Wednesday for an afternoon of reading. According to the reports Johnson was everything you’d ask from a 21-year old.
He fielded questions ranging from his age to Kevin Durant, then faced a dehydration scare because of a malfunctioning AC unit. Nothing seemed to perturb the rookie though.
Every detail that The Oklahoman’s Erik Horne included about Johnson screams “delightful human being.” Seriously.
"“As the chatter grew, Johnson stayed cool and directed the kids back to the book…Johnson, who’s slimmed down this offseason from his previously-listed 255 pounds, worked out before the community appearance and was dehydrated…He spent two voluntary workouts with Westbrook and George this summer in Los Angeles in preparation for the season…”"
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These little fragments tell us a lot about Dakari the person – they help explain how he’s grown so much as a player in only two years with the organization. Johnson was a second round pick out of Kentucky in 2014. After a solid first season in the G-League (then D-League), he blossomed into a First Team All-League performer last year.
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A primary defensive-minded player in college can now pass out of the post and even bring the ball up in certain situations. That will shock those who haven’t seen him since his UK days. After reading Horne’s report, however, it doesn’t come so much as a surprise.
Every player drafted, from pick #1 to pick #60, has the potential to make some sort of impact in the league. With so many incredible athletes, it tends to come down to who has the best head on their shoulders. Johnson’s growth on the basketball court screams somebody who is motivated to succeed. His first interaction for OKC off the court verifies that sentiment.
Whether or not Johnson makes an impact on the team this season is unknown. What we do know is that the Thunder signed a really good person who wants to get better at the game. That’s all you can ask from a rookie.