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Is Dakari Johnson a bruiser or a loveable teddy bear?
It all depends on who you ask about the Kentucky freshman center who has continued to improve as the season has progressed and hopes the best still lies ahead with UK starting NCAA tourney play Friday night in St. Louis against Kansas State.
“Dakari is really very skilled, but he is just basically a bruiser,” Kentucky freshman teammate Aaron Harrison said. “We get to see those skills and physical play every day, and we love it. He is so physical and plays with so much emotion. I loved that he is on my team. He is always playing hard and trying to help everybody out. But he is so physical.”
Florida freshman Kasey Hill, Johnson’s high school teammate, says he is a lovable teddy bear — away from the court.
“But when it is time to play, he plays. Nothing like that on the court at all. Off the court, he’s like that and that’s why everybody connects with him,” Hill said. “Dakari was a great teammate. I loved playing with him. Every time he plays hard and with a high motor. He loves to compete. I just loved him.
“But he is like a big kid. He likes to have fun, watch movies, hang out with his boys and stuff like that. I didn’t really see him play video games too much, but he’s like every other kid and just wants to have fun. I didn’t know him until he got to school, but he’s an easy-going guy. We connected as soon as he got there. He is like my brother.”
Johnson laughed when asked about Hill’s description of him.
“I think that’s fair. Everybody just enjoys being around me. I am kind of a jokester a little bit. I like Kasey and can see why he said that,” Johnson said. “I have just stopped thinking about anything except showing what I can do to help my team and that means having fun.”
Like when he did a chest/hip bump with teammate Jon Hood during a SEC Tournament win last week.
“It really hypes me up. Hoodie is a good guy to get hyped with. That’s just energy off the bench. When bench guys are into game as much as guys on the floor, it’s great,” Johnson said.
He certainly has been into games recently with both his scoring and rebounding.
“If I’m not going to play hard out there and not listen to what Coach is saying, I’m not going to play. As long as I’m listening to what Coach Cal wants me to do, I’m going to be out on the court and I’m just going to produce,” Johnson said. “This is the first time I have known if I don’t play hard, I won’t play and I think that’s really helped me. In high school, if I didn’t produce or worked hard I would just play anyways. Here, if you don’t work hard you’re not going to play.
“Everybody is assigned to a job and when everybody has a job to do and does it, we are pretty good. If we hit shots, then teams can’t trap. So when our guards hit shots, we are so much better. When adversity hits, we just have to gather together and play. We are getting better. We will be ready.
“We can’t make any more excuses. It’s time to play now with everything you have got because you are out of second chances. A couple of weeks ago we were a little up tight and a lot of stress was built up. Now we are just going out and playing. We are not even thinking about what has happened. We have a totally different mindset now.”
Hill doesn’t think Kentucky fans have seen the “real” Johnson yet despite his improved play the last two months that put him into the starting lineup.
“You have seen a glimpse of him but he can go a lot better and play a lot better than what he has done. The fans will see it soon,” Hill said before Florida beat UK in the SEC tourney. “I think he is doing better. He has trimmed down and got his weight down a lot and looks good. Once he gets his weight down, he is hard to handle. He found a way to lose the weight and that has been really good for him.
“He is hard working. He was always running and trying to get his weight down. Trying to eat right and stuff like that. Always working on his game individually. Free throws and stuff like that. He is a good passer out of double teams. He can shoot a 15-footer if he turns and faces (the basket). There are still things he can do that you have not seen yet.”
One thing he has done that is visible is communicate and lead more on the court. He’s always smiling, clapping and talking to teammates.
“I just try to help my team any way and giving out energy is one way to do it,” Johnson said. “That is just type of person that I am. I like to be enthusiastic and positive and get the team going and have a positive impact any way I can.”
“That’s Dakari. He wants to be a leader and he’s capable of doing that. I am not surprised he is being more vocal,” Hill said.
Johnson wasn’t doing that early but got the message when coach John Calipari told the team it needed more energy.
“Whenever we hit adversity, sometimes we fall and don’t follow through like we should and get back up. Every game won’t be easy and I feel I can pick guys back up,” Johnson said. “Guys will listen. I just try to help them. I think it is not just me. There are a lot more people that are talking. Andrew (Harrison), Aaron, James (Young), all of us are just talking and making adjustments.
“It has been going on for a while but I am trying to be more vocal. Coach Cal has taken step back and wants us to deal with adversity. We were not used to that before this season. I thought this would be much more easier, but I am grateful I am in this position I am now.”
That includes having sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein on the team to help him.
“I like playing with Willie because he kind of covers up some of my flaws defensively,” Johnson said. “He’s a great shot blocker, so if I break down on a defensive play he’s back there to help me.
“I’ve gotten a lot better on ball screens. That’s mainly coach Cal. He does a lot of good things, just helping me wall up, and my teammates do a good job of helping me out on ball screens. I really think we’re all starting to get it. We just got to translate it to the game where all of us are competing hard because we’re going to need each other to keep playing. We know we just have to play with a lot of energy and compete for 40 minutes. As long as we do that, we’ll be fine.”
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