3 Texas players who shined in first half of 2024-25 season

Tre Johnson, G

No player for the Longhorns has been more exciting and productive scoring the basketball this season than the freshman sensation Johnson. The former five-star recruit has lit up the score sheet for the Longhorns, including his season-high 30-point effort in Texas's win over Texas A&M this weekend.

Johnson's career day in the Longhorns' thrilling one-point win over A&M on Saturday was his sixth game scoring at least 20 points this season. He's shot well over 40 percent from the field in all six of those games where he's scored at least 20 points, so he's getting his scoring efficiently and not just through a high volume of shots on the offensive end.

The second half was when Johnson really popped off, lighting up the scoreboard for 24 points on over 50 percent shooting from the field and from beyond the arc in the game's final 20 minutes.

Johnson's ability to stay confident and be willing to pull the trigger when he knows he can find his spots and make shots for the Longhorns at key points in these big SEC games sets him apart as this team's alpha-dog and top scorer on the offensive end.

"I just made shots in the second half that I was missing in the first half. Just keep defending and competing with my teammates. "

Tre Johnson

Many of Johnson's best efforts for the Longhorns this season have come against some of the best opponents Texas has faced. In Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, Johnson averages a team-high 19.4 points per game (per CBB Analytics) while shooting 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc.

Johnson leads the SEC in points per game (18.8) this season. He's scored in double figures in all but one of the 18 games he's played for the Longhorns.

I haven't seen anything from Johnson this season that would signal anything but him being a sure-fire lottery pick next summer in the 2025 NBA Draft.

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