2025-26 Season
AJ JOHNSON
2025-26 Season
AJ JOHNSON
Johnson produces at an below average rate for a 9-minute workload. Defensive impact (-1.1/game) is a concern.
About this model: Net Impact can't measure floor spacing, help defense rotations, or playmaking gravity — so wings and guards are slightly undervalued vs bigs. How Net Impact works
TEAM COMPARISON
of 16 teammates (10+ games, 10+ min)
SKILL DNA
Percentile rank vs 235 Guards with 10+ games
THE SEASON SO FAR
AJ Johnson spent the first twenty games of the 2025-26 season drowning in disjointed rotational cameos and rushed decisions. He occasionally managed to scrape together value without touching the ball, like on 10/22 vs MIL where he posted a +1.4 impact score in just two minutes entirely through flawless defensive positioning. Usually, the speed of the NBA game just overwhelmed him. When his minutes finally expanded on 01/07 vs PHI, he tallied six points and four rebounds but generated a catastrophic -9.8 impact score due to inefficient shot-hunting and a glaring lack of hustle plays. Even a surprising perimeter shooting burst on 12/31 vs MIL yielded eight points, yet his -1.5 impact score remained trapped in the red. Instead of organizing the offense, Johnson consistently derailed possessions by forcing wild, contested attempts early in the shot clock. Until he learns to process the floor rather than panic against pressure, he will remain a severe offensive liability.
This erratic stretch of the season was defined by brutal shot selection and a complete lack of offensive discipline. Even when Johnson found the bottom of the net, as he did on 02/01 vs SAC, his team suffered. He poured in 17 points in 27 minutes that night, yet posted a disastrous -13.4 impact score because his scoring outburst completely masked deep structural breakdowns during his shifts. The coaching staff inexplicably gave him an absolute green light on 02/27 vs MEM, and it backfired spectacularly. He hoisted an abysmal 1-for-8 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points, generating a terrible -12.7 impact score that cratered the offense. Ironically, his most helpful minutes came when he stopped hunting his own shot. On 03/18 vs ATL, Johnson managed just 3 points but still earned a +1.4 impact score. By abandoning wild perimeter attempts and instead applying relentless full-court defensive pressure, he finally provided genuine value to the rotation.
IMPACT TIMELINE
Game-by-game performance vs average. Green = above average, red = below.
Struggling. Johnson has posted negative impact in 84% of games this season. The production rarely outweighs the cost.
Streaky shooter — only cracks 45% from the field in 31% of games. Efficiency is all over the place night-to-night.
Flat trajectory all season — first-half impact -3.0, second-half -2.6. No major shifts, which fits with the overall steadiness.
Tends to go on runs. Longest hot streak: 1 games. Longest cold streak: 22 games.
MATCHUP HISTORY
Based on 66 games with tracking data. Shows who guarded this player on offense and who he guarded on defense, with their shooting stats in those matchups.
ON OFFENSE: WHO GUARDED HIM
His shooting stats against each primary defender this season
ON DEFENSE: WHO HE GUARDED
How opponents shot when he was the primary defender. Lower FG% = better defense.
SEASON STATS
GAME LOG
44 games played