Darius Johnson-Odom Hoping to Follow NBADL Teammate Back to Lakers

Los Angeles D-Fenders guard Darius Johnson-Odom is hoping to follow former D-Fender teammate Robert Sacre back to the club's NBA affiliate Los Angeles Lakers.

A 6-foot, 2-inch guard from Marquette, Johnson-Odom is averaging 19.2 point per game and 5.2 rebounds and 5 assists per game through six early-season contests with the NBADL affiliate. The guard also played in four games for the Lakers, going scoreless in six minutes, before returning to the D-Fenders the last week of November.

Johnson-Odom is a shooting guard with a game resembling former Lakers guards Nick Van Exel. He is a catch-and-shoot guy, who excels in shooting the mid-range shot. He also shows good ability in getting to the basket off the dribble, as well as creating his own shot off one dribble. The guard needs to be more assertive on the offensive end, however, while also working on his balance in catch-and-shoot situations. He is an exciting player to watch and has a good chance for another call-up before long.

Johnson-Odom, who played his first NBA minute November 9 versus Golden State, had a successful three-year career at Marquette. The Youngsville, North Carolina native averaged 15.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 105 career games after transferring in from Hutchinson Community College. He finished 11th on Marquette's all-time scoring list with 1,649 points, 4th in 3-point field goals made (221), 8th in 3-point field goals attempted (549) and 9th in 3-point field goal percentage (.403).

Sacre has played in nine games for the Lakers this season, playing in 20 total minutes. Sandwiched in the middle of those games was a three-game stint with the D-Fenders. Sacre averaged 7.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game during that three-game stretch with the Lakers affiliate. After watching the center may his way back, Odom-Johnson certainly desires to follow in his footsteps sometime soon.