James Johnson, a wowing Wake Forest forward, has an undeniable future ahead of him. Though blowing his NCAA dreams to a very unsuspecting Cleveland State team, James Johnson can do anything but doubt his endless NBA possibilities.

The Deacons took another plunge into the unforgiving world of ACC basketball last season, with nothing special expected of them. But never the less, they came away with a very respectable 11-5 conference record and Johnson was the man behind it all.

Johnson came into the NCAA being ranked as the 9th best forward of his class and didn’t disappoint. He earned his fame in high school and did the same at Wake Forest.

During his freshman debut, Johnson made an appearance in all 31 games that year, 28 of them in which he started. He received third team All-ACC honors and led his team with both points (14.6) and rebounds (8.1) per game.

With 15 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, James’ sophomore year didn’t pan out much better than his first. Just like his freshman year, Johnson received All-ACC honors and was the highest voted player for the third team.

But what really elevated Johnson’s stock value in 2009 was his versatility on the court, being able to play 4-5 positions if needed. Along with an extremely athletic, powerful body, Johnson has more than enough physical gifts to be a successful player in the NBA.

A 7-foot-1 wingspan, Johnson is 100 percent capable of guarding large NBA forwards such as LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki. The question is will he do it? Now I know that sounds like one heck of a stupid question, but when scouts sit down at look at players like Johnson, they know that there’s a good chance of him becoming a defensive force. Whether or not a player can keep up in the NBA is possibly the hardest thing to judge coming out of college.

Right now, I’m establishing Johnson as a firm, momentum swinging, defensive forward that just about any team can use right now. With that out in the open, I say that the team most needing of a player such as James would most likely be the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns are ranked 27th in the league in points allowed and are allowing opponents to shoot 38 percent from beyond the arc, never getting a hand in the faces of perimeter shooters. Johnson would certainly be a relief for the Suns coaching staff. His large wingspan and amazing physical stature would bring a sense of liveliness to a defense such as Phoenix’s and Johnson’s capability of charging to the rim would certainly compliment Amar’e Stoudemire’s dominating style of play.

If the Suns do draft Johnson, because of his intense style of play, he’ll probably get a decent amount of playing time. I’m thinking around 15, maybe 20 minutes if he gets lucky.

He won't be an immediate success in Phoenix, as most expect him to be. But rather a work in progress, as I don't expect him to start for at least two years. He'll certainly be a help to the Suns coming off the bench and aiding them defensively. Yet, only time will tell whether or not this powerful forward has what it takes to make it in Phoenix, or for any NBA team.