When asked late in his final season of college basketball what his goals were after school, former IU guard Xavier Johnson didn’t hesitate.
He wants to find a way to play in the NBA.
Although he scored 1,825 points in his career at IU and Pittsburgh, a wave of injuries over the last two years made that goal seem out of reach.
But Johnson is getting looks.
On Thursday he’ll workout for the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, that franchise reported. He’s a late replacement for USC guard Boogie Ellis, and will be joined at the workout by Jalen Bridges of Baylor, D.J. Burns of N.C. State, Jesse Edwards of West Virginia, Antonio Reeves of Kentucky, and Kalil Thomas of Morehead State.
While not expected to be drafted, Johnson could be vying for an NBA summer league spot.
Johnson’s best season at IU was his first — an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten 2021-22 campaign.
Johnson looked like a guard with pro potential as he led IU on a late season surge two years ago. He averaged 14.2 points, 5.9 assists and shot 41.4% from long distance in the final 17 games of the season as IU made its first NCAA Tournament in five years.
Overall, he started all 34 games played that year and finished second on the team averaging 12.1 points. He led the team in assists (172) and steals (40). He was second on the team in 3-point shooting (38.3%), shot 78.2% from the line, second in free throws made with 115.
In his fifth season and second at Indiana, Johnson started in all 11 games played and averaged 9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per games. He suffered a season-ending foot injury at Kansas.
Johnson was granted a sixth-year of eligibility but was limited to 13 starts in 20 appearances in 2023-24 due to foot and elbow injuries.
The 6-foot-3 Virginia product struggled to get into a rhythm and averaged 7.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.8 steals in 25.6 minutes per game. He shot 42.5% (48-of-113) from the floor, 36.7% (11-of-30) from the 3-point line, and 68.8% (44-of-64) from the free throw line.
Watch: Xavier Johnson on BTN’s The Journey — “I’m going to cherish being in this program”
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