Tasmania JackJumpers have locked in American sharpshooter David “DJ” Johnson for another season, signing the 25-year-old on a one-year deal for NBL27.
Johnson, from Louisville, Kentucky, showed flashes of brilliance in his debut NBL season despite a disrupted start.
A calf injury sidelined him early in NBL26, but he roared back to form with a 33-point game against the Breakers that included seven three-pointers from 11 attempts.
JackJumpers coach Scott Roth said he was thrilled to have Johnson back on the roster.
“He’s showed a lot of promise at the end of the season,” Roth said.
“Unfortunately, he had a slow start with injury and finding his way in his first experience of being overseas.”
Roth said the club sees plenty of room for Johnson to develop further.
“We know he has a lot of growth ahead of him,” he said.
“We love his ability to shoot ball, he’s becoming more dynamic in the pick and roll and can be one of our better defenders also.”
“He gives us really good versatility in the wing spot and some good size. His upside is what excites us most about him.”
General manager of basketball operations Darren Smith said bringing back a familiar import gives the club a real edge.
“You build a lot of trust in a year, and now we can really build on that among the playing group and coaches too,” Smith said.
Smith said Johnson’s scoring ability made him a standout across multiple games last season.
“We’ve only just started to scratch the surface on his potential,” he said.
“There were multiple games where he was our leading scorer. He can shoot really, really well and he’s aggressive at getting to the basket.”
“We firmly believe he has another gear to go to and that’s so exciting for us and the team.”
