Flau'Jae Johnson has become a relentless two-way star at LSU

Coming out of high school in Savannah, Georgia, there was a brash confidence that Flau’Jae Johnson had on the hardwood. With the work she put in, the game always came easy to her. 

It carried over into her freshman season as she opened the year scoring in double figures in nine of her first 11 games as a Tiger, establishing herself as a key piece on an undefeated team.

That run continued into conference play where she scored 10 or more in six of the first seven conference games. Then, the efficiency dipped. Johnson closed the year scoring more than 10 in just three games over the final 17 games. She still won the SEC Rookie of the Year in the league, but her impact wasn’t showing up in the box score in the same way.

After averaging 14.2 points on over 50 percent shooting in the first 19 games, she shot just 31.7 percent from the field, averaging 7.5 points in the final 17 games. Her persistent defense and effort was pivotal in LSU’s championship run, but entering her sophomore year, there was a different feel about Johnson’s approach to the game and what it would take to sustain a high level of performance.

“What she did last year, that a lot of them do as freshmen, is they think the world revolves around shots,” Mulkey said. “They think the world revolves around making or missing shots,” Mulkey said. “Now, she’s trying to be that all-around player. She’s getting rebounds, she’s guarding the best player on the perimeter for us. Just making her an all-around player and helping her understand you’re not going to play a perfect game.”

Now, two games into SEC play, Johnson’s sophomore campaign has already put the nation on notice. After averaging 12.6 points on 50.4 percent shooting in the non-conference, Johnson has posted 20 points per game on 62.1 percent shooting to start the conference season.

It’s more than just her scoring, though, as Johnson is in the top seven percent of players in the country in total blocks, steals, and offensive rebounds. Her hustle stats are pivotal to this team’s success. The assists are also up significantly, at 3.4 on the season to just 2.1 turnovers, an elite ratio for an off guard.

She’s seeing the game slow down and it’s helped her evolve into an ultra efficient two-way player.

“Flau’Jae got so many minutes as a freshman last year and it’s allowed her to mature and become more comfortable faster. She’s just a sophomore and I think she saw opportunities to put the ball on the floor and go by somebody,” Mulkey said after the win over Missouri. “She and Angel are the two most experienced players I have out there in my system. I thought Flau’Jae was outstanding tonight.”

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There was one moment that Kim Mulkey will never forget when she thinks back to Johnson’s freshman season. 

“Last year, early in the season, I took her out of the game,” Mulkey said. “No reason, she probably didn’t even mess up. She put the towel over her head, so after the game we got back to the locker room and I light her up. I said ‘Don’t do that, that looks bad.” She was upset because she came out of the game and I said, ‘Flau’Jae, did you think you were going to come here and play 40 minutes a game every game?’ and she looked at me and said ‘yes’. She’s always been able to do that. She just has a joy about playing this game that’s contagious.”

No matter how tired she is, no matter the score, Johnson never wants to leave the court. Her work ethic has been raved about since she got on campus. Between her rapping career and her basketball life, Mulkey used to worry she didn’t get enough sleep.

Now that the expectations have raised, the standard has changed for Johnson entering the teeth of SEC competition.

Excellence comes with sustaining a high level of play, and that’s what’s next for Johnson. Alongside four all-conference caliber players, Johnson could have looked to differ or pass up opportunities to score with this new roster. Instead, her field goal attempts are up and her efficiency has spiked, giving LSU a true five-headed monster on the court.

Her workload will also continue to rise as conference play continues. After playing over 35 minutes just twice in the non-conference schedule, Johnson has surpassed that mark in each of the first two games in SEC play.

Kim Mulkey remembers when she’d take Johnson out to keep her fresh or to keep her composed last year, but this season, Mulkey doesn’t have that luxury. LSU is not nearly as deep, especially on the wing, and Johnson’s ability to give high level effort on both sides of the court has become invaluable to the Tigers’ success in 2024. 

Night after night, she’s going to need to be at her best for 40 minutes, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I was in a lot of big games last year and this year I know how fast the game is,” Johnson said. “Tonight I turned to Mikaylah and said ‘You’re tired aren’t you?’ because I was just like that when I was a freshman. For us, it’s just about gutting it out. This is going to be great for us because we’re going to be in such good shape and play these minutes and play hard. That’s what wins championships. When you’re not taking those plays off and not making mistakes because you’re tired. Once we get that in check, we’ll be on the path to becoming a great team.

“My favorite quote is ‘I gave everything I had, and what I kept I lost forever.’ So when you put it in that perspective, I just put it all on the floor.”