High School Spotlight: Link Academy's Tre Johnson

Highlighting the tremendous upside of one of the top guards in the upcoming class.

Modern guards continue to get bigger as positional size becomes even more important. Especially at the NBA level, the best guards must be versatile and do a little bit of everything. That’s exactly why University of Texas signee Tre Johnson is a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Currently attending powerhouse Link Academy, Johnson is a 6-foot-6 guard who has the skillset that will allow him to play off-ball guard or wing at the next level. Though he has a slender build, he’s 6-foot-6 with good length and a lot of bounce. A five-star recruit from the Dallas area, he’s set to come back home to Texas and play for the Longhorns next season.

There’s no question that producing points is Johnson’s specialty. He’s a natural scorer from all three levels, which makes him so lethal. He can shoot it with ease from beyond the arc, boasting mechanics that will translate and is a quality free throw shooter. He can also get to the rim and finish with power or touch.

But where Johnson really thrives is in the midrange. He’s so good at scoring off the bounce and is one of the best in his class at creating space for himself. Whether he breaks down his defender or backs him down then rises over or fades away, he’s a tough cover with creation skills. He truly knows how to punish smaller defenders. Especially as he gets stronger, the high school senior will only become even more difficult to guard. He plays at his own pace and is extremely fluid with the ball in his hands.

Scoring isn’t all Johnson can do though. He has defensive upside with his length, which will be something to watch at the college level with the Longhorns and is a skill that will impact how high he is drafted. The projected one-and-done talent is also a good passer, though he likely won’t play much lead guard moving forward. That said, he does have a chance to be a really effective pick-and-role handler. He’s also a good positional rebounder, so don’t be surprised if he flirts with a few triple-doubles next season. 

Keep an eye on Tre Johnson, who has the talent to be one of the best guards in the NBA one day.

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