Dakari Johnson: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

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Apr 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Dakari Johnson (44) looks to shoot against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Division I Championship semi-final game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

As the 2015 NBA Draft approaches, we’ll be taking a look at the top prospects in this year’s class to gain a sense of what the Phoenix Suns should do with their pick. Today, we’ll be taking a look at Dakari Johnson.

At nearly 7’0″, Dakari Johnson is the freshman center out of Kentucky who posted the highest body-fat content at the NBA Draft Combine (14.9 percent). He comes in at 265 pounds and was the heaviest of all the participants. This will come in handy as he defends the likes of Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson and Marc Gasol in the post, keeping them out of the paint throughout his NBA career.

Johnson averaged 16.3 minutes for the Wildcats his only year in college, averaging only 6.4 points per game. On the plus side, he grabbed 4.6 rebounds in his limited time as he was backing up the potential No. 1 in Karl-Anthony Towns.

Here is an evaluation before the recent draft combine:

The 19-year-old sure has the body of a true NBA center and looks like he could have a long career as an excellent backup in the league.

He doesn’t currently have the explosiveness or skill set to be a star or even a starter as of right now, which is why he’s being projected to go in the range of 39- 49. He’ll almost certainly still be there when the Suns pick at No. 44 overall in the second round.

#Kentucky big man Dakari Johnson said he met with the #Pistons today, led by Stan Van Gundy. Could be a backup option in the second round.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) May 15, 2015

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