The Detroit Pistons are taking their first round playoffs matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers back home down 2-0. But that did not stop rookie Stanley Johnson from talking some mean trash after their latest loss.
Hold on to your seats, because the rook went at LeBron and the rest of the Cavs.
Stanley Johnson on LeBron: "I'm definitely in his head. That's for sure."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) April 21, 2016
Stanley Johnson on LeBron: "I wish he would just talk when [the game] is 0-0, not when he's up 16."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) April 21, 2016
Stanley Johnson when asked why he's not afraid of LeBron as many other young players would be in same situation:
"Why would I be?"
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) April 21, 2016
Johnson on LBJ: "He's going to have to strap his shoes in every night tight because I'm going to strap my shoes in every night tight."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) April 21, 2016
“He jabbers,” Johnson said after Game 2. “He moves his mouth sometimes. Their whole team does, kind of like their little cheerleaders on the bench. Every time you walk in the right corner. They’re always saying something like they’re playing basketball, like they’re actually in the game. There’s only seven or eight players who play, I don’t see why the other players are talking. They might as well just be in the stands, in my opinion.”
I know everyone is going to have hot takes about this so I’ll get mine in first.
I love it.
The Pistons are losing by a lot and making LeBron angry is never a good idea. But this gets me so excited about Johnson as a player and the Pistons as a team going forward. If he already has this much confidence, imagine how much trash he’ll talk when his team is actually good and contending for something bigger. He’s publicly challenging one of the best players in NBA history without even thinking about the consequences. Sign me up for five to ten years of that added to Stan Van Gundy’s always open talking.
In the short-term, this might lead to LeBron going crazy in the next two games to get the sweep and prove a point. But in the long-term it has me so excited about the kind of player Stanley Johnson will become. Oh and he’s pretty good on the basketball court too.
