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Utah Jazz Player Ranks: Nos. 20-16

By Spencer

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16. Christapher Johnson

Mar 27, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Utah Jazz forward Chris Johnson (23) dribbles the ball against Denver Nuggets forward Joffrey Lauvergne (77) in the fourth quarter at Pepsi Center. The Nuggets defeated the Jazz 107-91. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Johnson is a lengthy six-foot-six swingman with a nearly-seven-foot wingspan. The 25-year-old attended Dayton and went undrafted in the 2012. ESPN ranked him as the 74th overall prospect.

Johnson spent the next two years playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the D-League, with brief NBA stints in Memphis and Boston. In 17 games with the Vipers last season, Johnson averaged 20.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks in 33.9 minutes per game.

The Jazz acquired Johnson after the Alec Burks injury, released him, then signed him once again to close out the season. He played 12 games with Utah averaging 17.6 minutes per game.

Millsap, Ingles and Johnson were splitting minutes at the end of the year, and Johnson looked good. In the most recent summer league, Johnson showed his true versatility. He averaged 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes.

What was most intriguing about Johnson was his improved offensive game. Last year, Johnson’s shot needed a little work. You could tell that he worked on his mechanics this summer to make that shot more consistent. This hard work was reflected by Johnson hitting 40 percent of his 23 threes in the summer league.

Johnson also used his length and was a disruptive defender, often guarding the opposition’s best player.

I think Johnson is the most well-rounded wing of the Ingles, Millsap, Johnson group. However, with Burks coming back from injury, Hayward’s emergence to star level and Rodney Hood‘s strong rookie season, there will be very few minutes to go around for the wings.

In the end the Jazz will likely keep Ingles and Millsap. Ingles is a fantastic distributor and Millsap is an elite defender. Johnson does not do one thing as good as they do both of those, but he has the more complete game.

We at The J Notes think that Johnson will be cut, but we are not comfortable with that prediction. He could easily beat someone out in training camp and be kept because of his versatility.

Let us know what you think about our player rankings in the comment section. This article will be followed by players 15-11.

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