Isaiah Johnson has emerged as a key contributor for the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team, leading the squad with an average of 15.6 points per game. His scoring output not only tops all Power 4 players coming off the bench but also ranks third nationally in bench points. The Buffaloes’ bench, bolstered by Johnson’s performance, leads their conference with an average of 34.4 points per game.
Johnson’s offensive contributions come from multiple areas on the court. He is currently among the top 25 in the Big 12 Conference for three-pointers made, having converted 22 shots from beyond the arc at a rate of 45 percent. When defenses focus on limiting his perimeter shooting, Johnson adapts by attacking the basket and drawing fouls. He has attempted 99 free throws—fourth most in the conference—and made 80 of them, resulting in an accuracy rate of 80.2 percent, which places him thirteenth in that category within the conference.
“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.”
In addition to his scoring abilities, Johnson contributes through other facets of play. He has recorded 35 assists against just 12 turnovers this season and is among both team leaders and top-25 conference players with 17 steals on defense. On offense, he has collected 19 rebounds off missed shots, ranking third on his team.
Despite coming off the bench, Johnson’s impact is comparable to that of starters; he has logged an average of 25.7 minutes per game over fifteen contests—the fourth highest total on his team and second among guards.
Head coach Tad Boyle commented on 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 this Saturday when they face No.14 Texas Tech at CU Events Center at 5 p.m., with coverage available on CBS Sports Network.
