Washington Wizards rookie guard Tre Johnson debuted with a double-digit scoring performance on Wednesday, and the sixth pick tied a team record in the process.
Johnson produced 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one blocked shot in 133-120 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. He went 5-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, in 26 minutes off the bench.
The 19-year-old is the first Wizards rookie to score at least 15 points in a debut since Tom Gugliotta finished with 20 points on Nov. 6, 1992. He tied Jarell Eddie for the most 3-pointers by a first-year player in a debut in franchise history.
“You obviously can see what he can do,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “Putting some pressure on defenses with his shooting ability, off-ball movement. I thought he was aggressive; that is what we want him to be. Good first game.”
Johnson started a bit slowly in the contest, converting only one of his first three shot attempts in the opening frame. He responded by making each of his next three 3s in the second quarter to quickly get up to 11 points at the intermission.
The former Texas guard showcased his dynamic scoring ability on offense, while pushing the pace to generate paint touches. He did finish with three turnovers and will certainly want to clean those up as the Wizards look ahead to Dallas on Friday.
Johnson earned praise from the team throughout training camp for his ability on both ends of the court. He will look to build off his first outing with the team as he gets his first season in the NBA underway.