AUBURN, Ala. – Jamal Johnson has spent two seasons at Auburn. The first, the year he sat out after transferring, the Tigers reached the first Final Four in program history. And then last year, he played on a team that won 25 games before the season was cut short due to COVID.
The common theme on both of those teams? Veteran leadership.
The Final Four team included the likes of Bryce Brown, Jared Harper, Horace Spencer and Malik Dunbar. This past year, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl always talked about his five seniors and Isaac Okoro, his "sixth senior." That group of seniors might not have started every gme the year before, but they had been in the program, they knew what to expect – they carried the torch left by those from the year before.
Looking ahead to this season, those veteran players are all gone. Every scholarship player from Auburn's Final Four team two years has moved on with the exception of Johnson who redshirted that season.
However, as a junior now, Johnson is the most experienced scholarship player on the roster. It's on him to pass on the leadership that was instilled in him by Brown, Harper, Samir Doughty and so many others.
"It's still a work in progress," Johnson said. "I'm just trying to learn from the guys before me – Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Samir Doughty – all those guys before me that paved the way, I'm just trying to learn from them and trying to incorporate their leadership into my game, so I can be a leader and help our team win games and get better every day. I'm still learning, but every day I try to improve."
"Jamal does have a chance to be one of our leaders," Pearl said. "I think it's so early and so I don't comment on it because I just have to let it play out, but I definitely see Jamal – having been a real improved player – trying to carve out his position on the roster and carve out his role."
For Johnson, that role a year ago was primarily as a 3-point specialist. He led the team in 3-point percentage (38.6) and made multiple 3s in eight games coming off the bench.
Coming into this year, eager to take on a more expanded role, Johnson has worked tirelessly in the offseason to evolve his game and become a more complete player. Pearl went as far as to say the junior guard had improved as much as anybody on the team from last year to this year.
"I got a chance during the quarantine to work with my dad on the field," Johnson said. "Work on my defensive slides, trying to get better laterally, so I could be able to defend better. I've also been working on my in-between game, like my mid-range, and getting to the rim, so I'm not just a catch-and-shoot 3-point player because that's easier to guard."
Johnson also knows nothing will be given to him. He still has to go out and earn it. Just because he's the oldest and most experienced player on the roster, it doesn't guarantee Johnson more minutes or a spot in the starting lineup. It was no different the year before. Those five seniors returning had to earn their spots.
"I'm just trying to work every day to put myself and our team in the best position to be successful," Johnson said. "Whatever Coach (Pearl) wants me to do, whatever is best for the team, I'm going to do it. I'm going to play hard. I'm going to shoot 3s. I'm going to defend. I'm going to do whatever it takes for the team to win.
"Whatever my role is, I'm going to do it as best I can."
