Who I Watched (3/19): Tre Johnson vs. Dailyn Swain
Evaluating Texas vs. Xavier from the First Four.
I watched Texas vs. Xavier on March 19, 2025. This game was part of the NCAA Tournament’s First Four.
Here are some draft-related notes on Dailyn Swain and Tre Johnson:
Dailyn Swain (Xavier)
BOX SCORE: 11 PTS (5/9 FG, 0/1 3P, 1/4 FT), 4 REB (2o/2d), 3 AST, 1 TOV, 2 STL, 0 BLK, 3 PF in 29 MINS
Dailyn Swain is a 6-foot-8 ballhandler and wing-sized defender who often combines moments of intrigue and greenness over the same game. This was what happened versus Texas, but I thought Swain largely had a good game and a strong second half. As a scorer, he fed on scraps, meaning cuts, offensive rebounds, and transition opportunities.
Swain flashed his appealing playmaking in this game. He had one really nice drive going left, using a hop step, and then extending to finish. The Muskateers sophomore can also make some reads when he pushes in transition. This is all relatively raw and still not completely functional, but there are two seasons of glimpses worth buying into now.
Swain’s shooting was worth commenting on. The Xavier prospect missed a spot-up three and then… just stopped taking them. Texas’ defense sagged way off him, and he largely couldn’t make them pay as a shooter or driver. That can’t happen in the NBA.
Defensively, Swain was typically active and engaged. He finished the game with a pair of steals, and I liked his process on both. The first clip is awesome, with Swain telegraphing Tre Johnson’s cut, and then coming up with the genuine two-way play since he gets the steal and assist over the same possession. I also enjoy how the 19-year-old shrinks the floor and gets the steal in the second clip of the above video. Swain was a little handsy defending in the second half, which he needs to watch, but he was really solid on both ends for the night.
I’ve been high on Swain for a bit, he’s been on my radar all season, and I have him at the top of second round right now. I’m not convinced he declares for the 2025 draft, though, and he could be a first round lock next year.
Tre Johnson (Texas)
BOX SCORE: 23 PTS (6/14 FG, 4/7 3P, 7/11 FT), 6 REB (2o/4d), 2 AST, 1 TOV, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 2 PF in 38 MINS
Tre Johnson’s stats look pretty good, but I thought he had a tough overall game that was held up by brief scoring spurts. That’s the good thing about Tre: he can always get hot, and he make difficult shots even out of rhythm. Johnson didn’t show anything new as a scorer against Xavier, taking and making movement shots, stepbacks, elbow midranges, etc.
Otherwise, I thought Tre struggled as a decision maker. He held onto the ball for too long, and the box score only lists him as having one turnover, but there were plenty of precarious moments as a ballhandler and passer.
By my count, Johnson had two solid passes, but I found the Texas freshman to have had more improvable moments than bright ones. He looked uncomfortable in traffic and getting downhill, and he wasn’t really reading Xavier’s defense because of his single-minded scoring approach. I actually buy Johnson’s upside as a passer, broadly speaking, but this wasn’t a good game for that.
Johnson’s finishing was a mixed bag against Xavier. He looked uncomfortable creating his own drives, be that against a set defense or in transition. Johnson doesn’t like seeing length on his takes and he also needs to get better at getting deeper paint touches. Slashing is a big improvement point for Tre, since he can rely too much on jumpers, but he has the positional size and length to be somewhat more aggressive at the rim.
But Johnson was decent attacking off the catch and getting fouled. These looks will probably always be there for him, since Tre’s floor gives him uses as a spot-up and movement shooter. He had a nice reverse finish along the baseline that stood out to me.