One Bruin Must Incorporate Higher Scoring Into His Game

The UCLA Bruins have one of the more complete players in the nation on their roster in senior guard Kobe Johnson. The missing piece to his game has been his consistency in scoring the basketball which is required for him to be great.

Dec 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (0) dribbles the ball against the Prairie View A&M Panthers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins (10-2) are one of the top teams in the nation and possess extreme talent from top to bottom in their roster. One of their best players and leader, senior transfer guard Kobe Johnson has one missing piece to his game to being one of the best players in college basketball.

Johnson leads the Bruins in multiple stats per game, including rebounds (5.3), assists (3.6), and steals (2.3). He has earned three steals in each of his last three games and has been the best defensive player on the team and why the Bruins are ranked seventh in opponent points per game (58.4).

However, Johnson is the fifth leading scorer on the team with just 7.1 points per game. His strong suit has not been his shot taking or shot making, as he averages just under six shots per game but is shooting 42.3% from the field.

Last season as a member of the Bruins' in-state bitter rival, USC Trojans, Johnson averaged 10.9 points per game on just above 10 shots per game. Johnson is averaging a higher clip in every other stat this year besides scoring, but part of that is the support cast around him is much more talented.

The Bruins have three players averaging 10 or more points per game, including junior forward Tyler Bilodeau pouring in 15.1 points per game to lead the team. Johnson does not have to take on as big of a load offensively like he did when he was with the Trojans.

Johnson is coming off his worst offensive game of the season, scoring zero points for the first time since December of 2022 when he was a Trojan. He will seek to have a bounce-back performance this Saturday when the Bruins take on the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

With all the different scorers that the Bruins have, adding Johnson as a strong threat to put the ball in the hoop will only make the team and Johnson, individually, much more dangerous. One thing is certain: Johnson impacts the game in so many different ways that lead to winning.

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