The Thunder drafted Dakari Johnson in the second round of the 2015 draft with the 48th overall pick. Since then, he has played with the Oklahoma City Blue, wearing jersey #44.
It all started back in high school when Johnson was such a big stand out that he was named as a McDonald’s All-American. He was ranked as the #2 center in the nation coming out of high school.
Dakari committed to Kentucky in 2013, and played there until he entered the draft in 2015. During his freshman year he averaged 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as a back up to Julius Randle.
During his sophomore year he was a back up again, this time to Karl-Anthony Towns. He had a slightly higher production rate with 6.4 points per game and 4.6 rebounds. After that season, he was a part of the record setting 7 players that got drafted from Kentucky.
He played with the Thunder in summer league after being drafted, then was later assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue. In his debut, he recorded 19 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal. He made the NBA D-League All-Rookie team that season.
He has always seemed to have loads of potential, and he has improved every season dating back to his Kentucky days. Last year, he was named an All-Star for the D-League, but that wasn’t his biggest achievement. He was later named to the All-NBA D-League First Team.
It’s been almost a five year journey since Johnson went to Kentucky and started his career, but now he is finally making it. On July 22nd of this year, he was signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s no telling how much playing time he will receive. However, Dakari will an amazing presence to both the bench and on the practice court.
Article written by Craig Hofeld. Follow @TheThunderGuys on Twitter and Instagram.