[The following scouting report is part of a series on potential 2025 draft prospects from Sports Business Classroom alumni.]

Tre Johnson
Frame: 6’5″, 190 lbs
Position: Guard
School: Texas Longhorns
2025 Draft Age: 19
Stats via espn.com

Offense

Johnson is a machine offensively. He can score at all three levels, but add a fourth level with his range. He can knock down shots off the catch and dribble from deep range, and with a 6’10” wingspan and high release point, it is difficult for guard defenders to stop him when he is creating on the perimeter. 

His pure scoring talent is arguably the best in this draft class. He is very mature, not letting his misses get to him. He stays confident and doesn’t shy away from playing his game. His style is built for situations where he will miss four shots in a row here and there, but he has done a great job at embracing it, knowing to focus on the next shot attempt rather than the last.

While Johnson can sometimes get caught in tunnel vision and focus too much on getting buckets one-on-one, he is also a quality passer. He is fundamentally sound when it comes to moving the ball. He pushes the ball up the floor through passes rather than dribbling and does not hesitate to keep it swinging around the perimeter.

While he has the fundamentals, Johnson may have difficulty settling into a playmaker role at the next level. He likes to put the ball on the floor and create, so many passes are bail-outs when he cannot. While you would like to see him expand this side of his game, he remains an effective passer in these situations, only averaging 1.9 turnovers on a conference-leading 34.7 minutes per game. 

His role on the offensive side is relatively one-dimensional, which could limit his ceiling if he cannot score with the best of them in the NBA. He is a tough shot maker and dangerous when hot, which is often, but if he is off, he can severely limit the capabilities of an offense.  

However, Johnson is not a regular 19-year-old scorer, as he shoots the ball at a fantastic rate given his freshman status. He shot the 15th most shots per game in the NCAA last season with 15.9 attempts per game and finished the year with impressive 42.7/39.7/87.1 percent splits. He was ranked first in the SEC in points per game and second in three-point percentage on his way to an SEC Rookie of the Year award and All-SEC Second Team appearance.

Defense

Johnson boasts the common duality of freshman guards: he plays with effort but is limited in skill, experience, and strength to make a significant impact. He generally holds his own against players his size, but is immediately at a disadvantage when they outsize him.

Off the ball, he struggles to stick to his man. As a ball-dominant guard offensively, he is naturally drawn to the ball, which causes him to lose his man on defense and get caught missing a backdoor cut or a flash around the perimeter for an open look.

He also needs to get better at navigating screens, partly because he struggles to stick to his man, which can cause him to be late to the rotation and have less time to maneuver properly. However, this is also just from a lack of experience and skill and something that will need to improve going forward.

What stands out on this end is that when guarding in isolation, he does a good job of not getting overly aggressive and instead staying grounded and disciplined. He is also good at keeping an eye on nearby passing lanes. His quick first step allows him to jump them when given the chance, if it is not too risky.

Looking Ahead

Johnson is among the best freshman isolation scorers the NBA draft has seen this decade. If the team that drafts him trusts him to continue this success at the next level and he is not too restricted in his role offensively, Johnson will be set to thrive. 

He shows flashes of Jalen Green as a player whose offensive capabilities rely heavily on his ability to create space for himself and convert in isolation. When he is on and able to get buckets, he is hard to contain; however, when he is having an off night scoring the ball, he struggles to help out in other areas to a high degree.  

Johnson projects to be a top-10 pick, and if he is given a decently long leash from the beginning, Johnson should have no problem turning himself into a full-time starting shooting guard in the league over the next couple of years.