Lakers Plan To Re-Sign Stanley Johnson
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles Lakers plan to sign forward Stanley Johnson to a 10-Day Contract at the end of his current contract - a 10-day Hardship Exemption Contract.
Johnson initially signed that hardship contract on December 24 in light of the rash of players forced into COVID-19 protocols. The Lakers also signed Darren Collison at that time, but he was recently let go following the expiration of his own respective 10-day Hardship Exemption Contract.
In five games with the Lakers this season, Johnson has averaged just over 25 minutes per game. While his stats don't pop off of the sheet, the Purple and Gold have been more than pleased with Johnson's high-energy playing style and his ability to defend at multiple positions. In those five games, Johnson has averaged 6.8 points with 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
With every Lakers player previously placed into COVID-19 protocols returning, it's unclear what role Johnson will have, but clearly the organization saw enough to give him another chance for the next 10 days.
Johnson, 25-years-old, is also a Southern California native, originally from Anaheim. He played high school basketball at Mater Dei High School, winning California Mr. Basketball in 2014. He attended the University of Arizona, where he was named 1st Team All Pac-12 in 2015 and was awarded the Julius Erving Award in the same season, given to the best collegiate small forward in the nation. He skipped the final three seasons of his collegiate career.
He was selected with the 8th overall pick in 2015 by the Detroit Pistons. He would stay with Detroit up until 2019, when he started to bounce around the NBA on various contracts. He spent time with the Pelicans and Toronto Raptors before signing with the Lakers G League affiliate prior to the 2021 season. Johnson left to sign a 10-day deal with the Chicago Bulls, when they were dealing with a similar COVID-19 outbreak, though he never played in a game with the team.
Over his seven years, Johnson has averaged 6.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. However, during his six games with the South Bay Lakers, Johnson showed glimpses of the greatness he displayed prior to his NBA career, averaging 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
The move was first reported by ESPN's Dave McMenamin.