JaJuan Johnson was one of the 60 players left in limbo when the NBA instituted a lockout seven days after the draft.
Johnson, the 27th overall draft selection, spent the next five months honing his game without the benefit of a traditional summer league or training camp to ease his transition to the professional game.
The Purdue alum stayed in his native Indiana for the majority of the lockout, but he also told reporters he traveled to Kentucky to play pickup games with Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. The 6-foot-9 forward was able to familiarize himself on the court with at least one of his future teammates.
"We had some good runs, pickup ball," said Johnson, who came to Boston along with a second-round pick in 2014 in exchange for No. 25 pick Marshon Brooks. "But the biggest thing I learned is what [Rondo] does on the pick and roll, kind of got a feel for that, or at least got introduced to it, because really, I'm behind obviously just from the lockout standpoint.
Johnson also said he looks forward to playing with Kevin Garnett, his favorite player from his childhood.
