Pistons rookie has big dreams
DETROIT - There was an Afro sighting at a recent Detroit Pistons practice, but it didn’t belong to you-know-who.
“His is definitely a little bit bigger than mine,” center Ben Wallace said.
The new hairstyle belongs to rookie forward Amir Johnson, who took out his braids and picked and puffed a rather impressive hairstyle.
That’s one thing Johnson can do on his own. Until a few months ago, the 18-year-old Johnson never had experienced life outside of Los Angeles. He never paid bills or rent, never cut checks and never prepared his meals.
And driving a car? Well, let’s just say Johnson thought it would be like hopping into a go-kart. Switch lanes and accelerate.
“I passed it on my third try,” Johnson said of the written portion of his drivers license test.
Remember, the Pistons drafted him out of high school with the 56th pick in June.
He didn’t splurge on a dream house, or on enough jewelry to cover his 6-foot-9-inch body. He even passed on getting a hot ride. Instead, Johnson brought his mother, Deneen Griffin, with him to live with him in his Troy, Mich., apartment and help with the transition from high school to the NBA.
Johnson, raised in Los Angeles, left behind his friends, many of whom are playing college basketball, along with roughly 20 family members.
What he doesn’t miss is the rough neighborhoods he grew up in. And attending four high schools was no fun, either.
He left one high school because a nearby gang caused trouble with students. He left another because of poor grades. Johnson said he raised his grades at a prep school before transferring to Westchester High, where he improved in the classroom and thrived on the court, helping his team win a state championship in his senior year.
Then Johnson had to decide on his future: college, prep school or the NBA?
He already had signed to play for the University of Louisville, but thought about something bigger.
“I just up and decided to go to the NBA,” he said. “What would be better than that? That was like my dream to go to the NBA, and I had a chance to do it.”
“I think his mom being there is going to help him a lot,” said Ed Azzam, Johnson’s coach at Westchester. “He’s not going to have all those temptations from being on his own, so there’ll be some structure in his life.”
His Pistons teammates have helped, too. Recently, veteran Antonio McDyess took Johnson shopping for formal and casual wear at Rochester Big and Tall.
“I know how it is when you first come in the league and you don’t have anything,” McDyess said. “Everything is totally different for you, like you’re an outsider. So I just try to make it feel like home, get him some clothes and make him look like he’s in the NBA instead of high school.”
Johnson, however, can’t shed the “high school” label. McDyess chuckled when asked how Johnson acts around his older teammates.
“He’s definitely an 18-year-old kid,” McDyess said. “It’s different for him and different for me to see it because I’ve never played with a high school player.”
Few have. And it’s unlikely anyone will play with someone straight out of high school again. With the new NBA age limit at 19, Johnson might be the last to skip college altogether.
On a roster loaded with veterans, there won’t be many opportunities. Johnson has been on the inactive roster list since the start of the season - and he’ll likely stay there. The Pistons haven’t sent him to the NBA Development League because they want to monitor him daily.
“Will he be able to contribute in the short term? Maybe not this year,” says scouting director George David.