Isaiah Johnson is playing a key role for the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team this season, averaging 15.6 points per game. His scoring average leads all Power 4 conference players in points off the bench and ranks third nationally among bench players. The Buffaloes’ bench, led by Johnson, currently scores an average of 34.4 points per game, which is the highest in their conference.
Johnson’s contributions come in several forms. He leads his team and is among the top 25 in the Big 12 Conference for three-pointers made, having hit 22 shots from beyond the arc at a rate of 45%. When opponents defend against his outside shooting, he has shown an ability to drive to the basket and draw fouls. Johnson has attempted 99 free throws—fourth most in the conference—and converted them at an 80.2% rate, making him one of the more reliable free throw shooters on his team.
“That’s my job coming off the bench to provide a spark,” Johnson said. “Being able to do that job, all of us on the bench have done that at a very high level. Me and Alon [Michaeli] play a lot like starter minutes and it means a lot that the coaches trust us to be able to put us in at the end of games and play us a lot down the stretch.”
Beyond scoring, Johnson has contributed with his passing skills—he has recorded 35 assists against only 12 turnovers this season—and on defense, where he leads his team with 17 steals, placing him within the top 25 in conference rankings for that statistic. On offense, he also contributes by collecting offensive rebounds; his total of 19 ranks third on his team.
Despite coming off the bench rather than starting games, Johnson’s playing time reflects his importance: through 15 games played so far this season, he averages nearly 26 minutes per contest—the fourth most on his team and second among guards.
Head coach Tad Boyle addressed Johnson’s role: “Coach (Larry) Brown, who I played for and then got to know as I got into coaching, told me, ‘You know, I didn’t always start our five best players.’ I’d like to bring strength coming off the bench, and whether it’s energy, whether it’s scoring, whether it’s reboot, whatever,” Boyle said. “And that’s how I feel about Isaiah (Johnson). Isaiah is a starter for us. He’s playing starter minutes but he kind of likes coming off the bench. I think he likes to see the flow of the game and kind of pick his spots, and it works right now. He’s not going to be coming off the bench for his whole career. I can tell you that right now. I could have started him tonight. I can start him on Saturday but that’s not the point.”
The Buffaloes are scheduled to return home to face No.14 Texas Tech at CU Events Center on Saturday at 5 p.m., with coverage available on CBS Sports Network.
