NBA draft grades: Phoenix Suns' Cameron Johnson NBA draft pick blasted by pundits

The Phoenix Suns' first pick in the NBA draft isn't earning rave reviews by NBA writers and pundits.

It's earning rotten reviews.

The team reportedly traded down with the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire the No. 11 pick in Thursday's draft along with Dario Saric in exchange for the No. 6 pick.

With that No. 6 pick, Phoenix took North Carolina's Cameron Johnson.

Most NBA pundits were shocked at the selection. Johnson was not projected to go anywhere near there in NBA mock drafts.

The Suns mainly received D's for the pick in early grades for the selection.

CBS Sports: D

Gary Parrish and Kyle Boone wrote: "This pick was made by the Suns, who traded 6 for 11 and Dario Saric. The Suns did this because they've got all this youth. Johnson's a guy who's as ready to play. But what a stunning move. No one expected him to be this high. Johnson was not even one of the 24 players invited to the official draft green room. This is wild to me."

Bleacher Report: D+

Zachary Buckley writes: "The Phoenix Suns must be desperate for shooting. Cameron Johnson, taken 11th overall, can supply that in spades, but good luck getting anything more from him. He is the anti-upside prospect of this class. His college career spanned five years and two schools. His 23rd birthday is already behind him, meaning he's older than Devin Booker and Ben Simmons. In other words, any flaws in Johnson's game—his handles and athleticism are suspect—are unlikely to be corrected. It's a strange investment for a club that appears nowhere close to the playoff picture. But his lethal long-range shot is a safety net, both for his career and the Suns offense, which, it's worth noting, finished 28th in three-point makes and 30th in three-point percentage last season. With good size (6'8½") and better understanding of off-ball movement, he's the early favorite to pace this class in spot-up splashing. This past season, he buried nearly three triples per night at a 45.7 percent clip. The Suns had enough frontcourt clutter that they effectively salary-dumped TJ Warren onto the Indiana Pacers earlier Thursday, per Wojnarowski. Johnson just crowds things again, only with far fewer scoring tricks up his sleeve."

Detroit News: D+

Matthew Schoch writes: "When was the last time a fifth-year senior was picked this high? Johnson is a fine player and should be able to contribute right away. But at 23, he’s nearing his prime and ceiling already."

SB Nation: D

Ricky O’Donnell writes: "Johnson is the oldest player expected to go in the first round and simply doesn’t have enough upside to warrant a pick this high. He’s arguably the best shooter in this draft class, as a 6’8 forward who shot 46 percent on threes in his fourth year of college ball. He doesn’t offer much else outside of his shooting, though. Johnson lacks the physicality to make an impact defensively and will also struggle to finish through contact in the NBA. He also doesn’t create much off the dribble. The Suns still don’t have a point guard, though it’s possible they target someone like D’Angelo Russell in free agency. Paired with Mikal Bridges, the Suns now have some shooters on the wing to surround Devin Booker. It might sound good on paper, but Johnson is simply too one dimensional to get picked this high."

Sporting News: F

Chris Stone writes: "Well, this is unexpected. Johnson is actually headed to Phoenix along with Dario Saric for the rights to draft Jarrett Culver at No. 6, which begs the question… Did the goats make this pick? Johnson was largely projected as a late first-rounder in most mock drafts. I actually like Johnson quite a bit. I thought he would be an excellent selection for a team in the early 20s as a player who could come in and help right away. He's probably the best shooter in the draft, and he has positional size. He's able to get his jumper off over most defenders. There's a ton of value in that alone. But Johnson is also already 23 years old. He's a limited to non-existent on-ball creator. He's skinny and almost certain to struggle defensively at the next level. He also has an extensive injury history and had reportedly been flagged by multiple teams for those injury issues. His best case scenario is a 3-and-D combo forward. Phoenix, a team drastically in need of a point guard, passed up the chance to draft a good one at No. 6 in Coby White in exchange for a fine role player? This selection is frankly awful."

Sports Illustrated: D-

Jeremy Woo writes: "This is an extreme reach for the Suns, who are grabbing a player most teams expected to be available in the 20s here at No. 11 after trading down from No. 6. This is hard to explain — Johnson is one of the draft’s best pure spot-up shooters, but he’s already 23 years old. It feels like the Suns are drafting for need here, and this is an extremely high juncture in this draft to do that. Phoenix would seem to be trying to accelerate their rebuild, but this decision is questionable, given the way this draft seemed slated to fall. The choice itself makes some sense, but the execution here is the issue I have."

Dime Magazine: D

Robby Kalland and Brad Rowland wrote: "Phoenix continues to be Phoenix. On the bright side, Cam Johnson is perhaps the best shooter in this draft and it helps to have a legitimately skill. Unfortunately, that is the only above-average trait that Johnson brings to the table and, value-wise, taking him at No. 11 is very, very aggressive."

Salt Lake Tribune: C-

Andy Larsen writes: "Him? Now? Cam Johnson can shoot the ball, making over 45% of his 3s last year, but he projects as a role player only because he doesn’t have much defensive ability or shot creation skills to speak of. Surprised he goes No. 11."

If you want a more positive review of the Suns' selection of Johnson at No. 11, we found one ...

The Ringer: B

Jonathan Tjarks writes: The Suns have suddenly become conservative with their lottery picks. A year after they traded up to no. 10 to take Mikal Bridges, an experienced wing with a proven 3-point shot, they took a similar type of player in Johnson, a fifth-year senior from North Carolina with one of the best 3-point shots in this year’s draft. Johnson isn’t as good defensively as Bridges, but his size (6-foot-9, 205 pounds) should at least allow him to survive on that end of the floor. Johnson will have an immediate role in the NBA, which means he is a pretty safe bet to give them solid minutes off the bench, even if he never ends up as a high-level starter. He hasn’t shown the ability to do much on offense beyond shoot, but he won’t need to if he’s playing with Devin Booker and D’Angelo Russell, the latter of whom they may target in restricted free agency.

First-round NBA draft picks in 2019