A look inside Darius Johnson-Odom

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
July 10, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/07/boston-celtics/a-look-inside-darius-johnson-odom/

ORLANDO, Fla. –On Monday the Celtics won their first game of the Summer League, defeating the Detroit Pistons 93-63. The win was anchored by the performance of Free Agent guard Darius Johnson-Odom.

Johnson-Odom scored a team high 22 points on 8-14 shooting, to go along with five rebounds. The 6’2″ guard was the number 55 overall selection in the 2012 by the Dallas Mavericks. Since being drafted though, Johnson-Odom has been nothing short of a journeyman.

On draft night, the Dallas Mavericks sold the rights to his contract to the Los Angeles Lakers. After the summer, he would be assigned to the Lakers D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Although only playing 12 games there, Johnson-Odom would flourish in the D-League. Averaging 20.6 points per game, to go along with 5.3 assists and 5 rebounds per game, Johnson-Odom seemed to be on the fast track to the NBA.

Instead, the Lakers decided to waive Johnson-Odom on the final day before contracts became guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Johnson-Odom would end up joining a team in Russia, Spartak St.Petersburg, for the remainder of last season.

Before his short pro career, Johnson-Odom graduated from Marquette University. He gathered many awards in his college career including All-Big East honors in his senior year. Johnson-Odom’s stats increased every season he played, as he finished up with a career line of 15.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

Many may be wondering, who is Darius Johnson-Odom? If he keeps this type of play up, Johnson-Odom may answer that question himself by locking up a Celtics roster spot.