Hook'em Headlines
Fansided

Former Texas hoops star turning heads early in NBA Summer League

Washington Wizards' No.6 overall pick in the recent 2025 NBA Draft, and former Longhorns SG, dominated the NBA Summer League in debut.
ByMatthew Wilson|
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Tre Johnson stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the sixth pick by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Tre Johnson stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the sixth pick by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The 2025 NBA Draft took place on June 25th & 26th, and former Texas basketball star Richard "Tre" Johnson was the most dominant rookie in the NBA's Summer League premier last night.

The Wizards faced the Suns on Friday night, and though they lost, Tre Johnson showed off some of his unique scoring ability as well as his "no fear" attitude when it comes to rebounding. He finished the night with 18 points (7-13 FG, 3-5 3PT, 1-2 FT) to go along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

Heading into this year's NBA Draft, his calling card was his ability to score and he didn't disappoint in that aspect throughout his first NBA action. He's an extremely smooth operator and doesn't waste a lot of movement when pulling up and getting off shots with defenders in close proximity.

He also proved that he's not afraid to follow his shots and get scrappy inside to get rebounds. There was a nice play where he put up a shot and then was able to get his own rebound for a nice 2nd chance bucket over the Suns' 7-foot C/PF, Oso Ighodaro.

Aside from making routine NBA-level shots for most of the night, he was also responsible for the highlight play of the evening for any team.

Who thinks to bounce the ball off of the defender's leg in this situation and drive to the basket?
Somebody who's incredibly in-tuned with his surroundings and has a high basketball IQ, that's who.

Here's another angle:

If Johnson continues on this path in terms of scoring consistency, there's no doubt that he'll solidify his spot as one of the top bench players on the Wizards' roster for the 2025/2026 season. It honestly wouldn't be surprising to see him soak up some minutes at point guard as well if he can prove that his ball-handling is good enough throughout the summer.

At 6'5", he has enough size and length to contribute at any position in the backcourt for Washington. He'll just need to continue working on his overall defense because that's a clear area in need of improvement at the professional level.

Home/Texas Basketball