ARIZONA BASKETBALL

Former Wildcat Johnson impresses in Summer League debut, finishes vicious dunk

Jul 5, 2014, 9:04 PM | Updated: Jul 6, 2014, 3:12 pm

Former Arizona point guard Nick Johnson’s first taste of professional basketball was memorable to say the least.

Johnson, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year, was drafted last month by the Houston Rockets with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Playing for Houston’s summer league squad in Orlando, Johnson, who averaged 16.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a junior with the Wildcats, put on an absolute show against the Detroit Pistons — 18 points, five rebounds, three assists and a block.

Odds are, though, only two of those 18 points will be remembered.

Moving off of a screen on the left free-throw line extended midway through the third quarter, Johnson took two dribbles inside the arc before rising high above Pistons center Tim Ohlbrecht for a vicious left-handed dunk.

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