Hawks sign US prodigy AJ Johnson as NBL Next Star

The 18-year-old 6'5 combo guard will be looking to follow in the footsteps of former Next Stars LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft where he's ESPN's projected No. 13 pick.

The five-star recruit out of Southern California Academy had committed to the Texas Longhorns, but will instead head to Wollongong for his first season as a pro.

"It's very exciting for us, he's [the league's] first US-based Next Star for a bit of time and we're pretty excited about the potential and what he could be as a player," Hawks GM, Mat Campbell said.

"He's already rated higher than LaMelo was when we initially went into that conversation and, from what he's showcased so far at the high school level in the States, and his scrimmages against NBA quality players, his progression is going to be phenomenal.

"We're looking forward to being part of that. The type of transition that the guys have been able to make out of the Next Star program into the NBA, and hit the ground running, is a key factor in why his camp is choosing this pathway for him.

"The ability to come in and play against pros straight away, in an environment where you need to win every game, counts so much in developing a player into a pro that can actually contribute when they eventually get to the NBA level.

"Obviously we see the advantage of having such a good, young talent, with a skill set some of the Australian kids are yet to fully develop, as a point of difference that's going to help us win games."

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The Hawks have had a mixed experience when it comes to the Next Stars program, with Ball bringing a wave of publicity but just four wins, while Golden State draft pick Justinian Jessup was a key cog in the Hawks' consecutive trips to the play-offs under Brian Goorjian.

With skipper Tyler Harvey set to form a belated starting back-court combination with former Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks guard Justin Robinson, Campbell feels Johnson will be the ideal complement.

"His team were fully aware before this process began that we already had Justin Robinson and Tyler Harvey built into our roster," Campbell said.

"He's going to come into an environment where he can learn from professional players. Tyler's obviously been around the world a long time now and Justin Robinson was on five NBA teams before coming to us.

"We were trying to build the same way with LaMelo. We had (NBA veteran) Aaron Brooks at that time who was the point-guard but, unfortunately, he got hurt early on.

"You want to build an environment for these guys that gives them the opportunity to shine, while taking a little bit of that pressure off. We saw that with Ousmane Dieng and (Rayan) Rupert with NZ in the past two years in finding a [immediate] role they could play to continue to develop into great pros.

"[Johnson] will have the opportunity to be around other professionals and understand what it is to be a pro prior to making that jump into the NBA. That's clearly the project but, at the end of the day, we're about winning basketball games.

"If we can do that while we develop [him] at the same time, we're excited for what that could bring."

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The addition of the gifted swingman won't change the Hawks' approach to recruiting a third import to play alongside returning duo Harvey and Robinson, with the club still prioritising a three-four man.

"We've still got an import spot available so that's something we're actively looking for as we speak," Campbell said.

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