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Duke
Jalen Johnson

Duke

Freshman
HT/WT/WS6' 9", 220lbs
Projected RoleTwo-way combo forward
Age19

PTS

11.2
  

AST

2.2
  

REB

6.1
  

FG%

52.3
 

Big Board Rankings


Strengths

  • Impressive combination of strength and explosiveness at 6-9, 220 pounds. Strong lower body. Plays with physicality.

Areas to Improve

  • Rigid shooting stroke. Long release with mixed results. Doesn't have many ways to score in the half court outside of energy plays.

Scouting Sources


Mike Schmitz

Community Scouting Reports (34)


Grantula
u/ShooterMcGrady

#19

RANK


Like him as a basketball player, not sure about his character or physical durability. He quit on his team and I won’t be told otherwise, and with character being a huge tell about success in the NBA, we can’t look past that. He also constantly gets the injury bug which can shorten his career significantly. His game isn’t perfect, but he can dominate in transition, and I think his long term league archetype is probably a small ball 5 due to his lack of creation in transition. He has all the tools, hopefully he can put it together.

Comparison: Thad young with POP

Ceiling: Miles Bridges +

Floor: Jarrell Brantley



Analysis done by @ShooterMcGrady. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
Antonia Daymond
u/amdaymond

#9

RANK


There are a few reasons why I am higher on this dude than others and think he will work out. First, he's not selfish, because the only reason he left Duke was to get healthy which he needed to do and Coach K himself said he was grateful to the university. Second, his game is just too appealing to me. He can score in transition, create for teammates, and shows flashes of self creation. His ability to guard multiple positions and play them are too good for me to not put him in the Top 10. Add in the fact on based what I have seen, his shot looks much better and he's making shots. Even without scoring, he can be the ultimate glue guy.

Jalen Johnson: ''People say a lot of things about me, but they say a lot of things without knowing me.''

Projected draft range: 6 to 18



Analysis done by @amdaymond. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
Lenny Parsons
u/leoparso

#13

RANK


6''9, 6''11 wingspan. Excellent athlete. Likes to yam. Very fluid movement. Will grab n go coast to coast. Finishes or finds the open man with good passing skills and vision. Long strides and good finishing and the bucket. Just a smooth looking player overall. Good at embracing contact while still finishing. Uses either hand well. Passing upside is really promising, he can find teammates cross court and has a tremendous feel for the game. Good slasher. Great recovery skills defensively and the footwork necessary to protect the rim. Great hips and spatial awareness defensively. Versatile as a defender - can front 5''s if needed or guard the perimeter. Still needs more strength to bang. Somewhat of a hitch in his shot, doesn''t get much elevation. Not sure that he''s a halfcourt creator, his handles don''t suggest any advanced dribble combinations. Excellent rebounder 11+ per 40 and genuine stat stuffer per 40 - 21, 11, 4 ast, 2.2 stl, 2.3 blk, 5.5 FTA but also 4.7 TO which is a bit of a conce



Analysis done by @leoparso. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
NBA Draft
u/Draft1000

#11

RANK


Tier 5 Floor - high level rotation player Bullseye - Productive starter Ceiling - borderline all star

OFFENSE Pass - Grade: 85 Notes: Playmaking is probably Johnson's best offensive attribute. Johnson has great court awareness, particularly in transition or when posted up. Johnson is great at finding open shooters when he slashes, and is a pretty accurate passer. He is an on-ball creator on offense, and is good at hitting cutters. While he has good court awareness, he is often not under control and has trouble adjusting when his initial read is cut off. This makes Johnson pretty turnover prone, and his AST/TO was negative. However, his teammates at Duke missed a ton of open shots and his passing is more fit for the NBA than college.

Dribble - Grade: 85 Notes: Johnson has a great handle for a 6'9 power forward, particularly in the open court. Johnson is great at changing speeds, taking long strides, and maximizing his dribble. He has serious potential to be a PnR ball-handler as he can see over the defense and has the handle to maneuver in the PnR well, just needs to work on poise and jumper. Doesn't have a deep bag of moves, and little to know counters, but is comfortable with the ball in his hands and can still get to his spots off the dribble. Plenty of room for improvement in this area, but he projects to be a very good ball handler for his position.

3pt shooting - Grade: 72 Notes: Johnson shot 44% from three this season, but that number is quite misleading. Johnson only attempted 18 threes this season at Duke. His form is slow and stiff, and he doesn't look comfortable taking threes. He shot well off the catch which offers a little bit of hope, but him shooting just 63% from the free throw line is not a good sign. He has potential to get to league average from catch and shoot, but it's going to take sometime. This is an area of Johnson's game that he needs to prioritize more than anything else.

Mid-range shooting - Grade: 70 Notes: Johnson rarely took mid-range jumpers, and when he did they were more so floaters than jumpers. I would like to see Johnson add a bit of mid-range game, as it could be unstoppable when he's a PnR ball-handler. He has pretty good touch even though his form is not great, and I think there's potential for him to add a bit of a middy to his game but it is not something I would count on.

Finishing - Grade: 84 Notes: Johnson is a very good driver and finisher in transition, and just ok in the half-court. Johnson has an amazing ability to elevate and throw down highlight dunks, but when this isn't an option he more often than not shies away from contact. He embraces contact when being defended by a smaller player, but avoids when meeting a big at the rim. With that being said, Johnson is still a very good finisher. Shows good touch, elevation, and creativity on his finishes. Pretty good conversion rate for someone who has a pretty high degree of difficulty on his finishes. Johnson will probably be more effective as a driver in the half-court as a pro, due to the spacing and pace. I wouldn't be surprised used Johnson some as a on-ball screener and short roller in some capacity as well. Johnson needs to be work on being able to embrace contact for all player sizes, and his FTr.

Off-ball playmaking - Grade: 79 Notes: Johnson has show plenty of flashes of how he can be effective as an off-ball playmaker, but he has a tendency to lose interest in plays when an action is not directly involving him. Johnson will also post-up at odd and unfavorable times, clogging the lane when he should be relocating. He is a good cutter when he actually cuts, and there's no reason why he couldn't be a high level screener. This is more of an engagement issue than an ability issue. Johnson is a pretty athletic and active offensive rebounder, who has a knack for above the rim putbacks.

Offensive Summary: 82 Johnson's offensive game has a very wide range of outcomes, with a very high ceiling. If Johnson get league average at C&S threes, adapts a little bit of jump shot creation of the dribble, and poise as a half-court playmaker and PnR ball-handler, he could be a pretty elite offensive player. That is much easier said than done, and it is unlikely he gets to that level in all of those categories. Johnson's quick first step, playmaking ability, and knack for getting to the rim in transition will make him at least an OK offensive player in the league, with a ton of potential and room to go. Johnson's a very dynamic player already, and will show flashes immediately. The questions with him are with his shooting, character, and consistency. I am not too worried about the high turnover rate. Johnson needs to learn how to be effective off-ball right away, as I'm not sure he will have the ball in his hands as much as he did in college.

Defense Engagement - Grade: 79 Notes: Johnson's defensive engagement was very inconsistent. He will get caught ball-watching often, and will visibly not put in full effort on a closeout or rotation at times. This type of behavior, while not constant or representative of who he is as a defender, is alarming. Johnson would look very locked in at the defensive end at times as well, so consistency is the issue with this, not that he can't get to a high level of engagement.

Containment - Grade: 84 Notes: Johnson is a pretty good POA defender, and is a good one for a 6'9 guy. He can have poor timing on closeouts which compromises his defensive positioning, and his technique is often not great. He will not be low enough in his stance, and will be tight-hipped at times. He has shown ability to get low and cover guards in the matchups that he covets, so again, it's an issue of consistency rather than ability for the most part. Johnson does have very good lateral quickness for his size, and has the speed to beat a lot of guards to the spot. Johnson also has great core strength, which is pivotal in being a high level POA defender. There is certainly potential for Johnson to be an elite wing defender in the league, and he projects to be at least a good one.

Team Defense - Grade: 90 Notes: When engaged, Johnson is a very high level secondary and off-ball defender. Elite level rotations, particularly when playing help at the rim, and picture perfect closeouts when he gets the timing right. He can be lethal in the passing lanes, covering a ton of ground and making the offensive player guess. He is very good at straddling the lane line when in the gap, and can pounce from one spot to the next. He is extremely mobile and very long. As with the rest of his defensive game the two areas of most importance are engagement and consistency.

Rim Protection - Grade: 94 Notes: Johnson is a very high level help defender and shot contester. He regularly blocks and alters shots at the rim, and has good instincts. He can be baited into pump fakes with regularity, but he's got a crazy quick second jump. Johnson is pretty good at not getting baited into fouls, and had a low foul rate for someone who contests and reaches as much as he does. His ability to rotate and help makes him a high level defender, and separates him for the other versatile wings behind him.

Playmaking - Grade: 95 Notes: Johnson has an absurd stock rate, and a high deflection rate. His steal rate for a 6'9 guy is truly ridiculous, he's got great hands and length to pluck guys off the dribble and to get a hand into passing lanes. When he's active, he's going to get a hand on the ball at a crazy high rate. This aspect of his game is one that is very rare, and is a little bit of the likes of Robert Covington in how he rotates at the rim and plays the passing lanes, Kyle Anderson in terms of timing of his reaches on penetrators, and Mikal Bridges in how he covers so much ground (not as long though). Now he is obviously not at the level of any of those guys, but has shown serious flashes and ability to get there.

Versatility - Grade: 95 Notes: Johnson should be able to switch 2-4 right away, and maybe one day 1-5. He is already very strong and can guard bigs, and has quick feet to stay in front of guards. But he needs to improve his technique and gain consistency to be able to do this, and not take plays off. He's got the tools to become and extremely versatile defender on and off the ball, and this is why he can't be ignored as an extremely high-level prospect.

Defensive Rebounding - Grade: 85 Notes: Johnson should rebound at a higher rate than he does, but when he does crash he is a good rebounder. He has a solid motor when engaged, and has the strength, elevation, and length to be a good rebounder. Johnson loves to push the ball and run the break after getting a defensive rebounder.

Defensive Summary: 89 Notes: I know I've already said this about a few other guys in this draft, but Johnson has a legitimate all-defensive team potential. Unlike the others though, despite having all the tools, Johnson is going to have to work harder than them to get there because a lot of stuff does not come naturally to him that is required to be an elite defender. He is a natural at contesting shots around the rim, but can often look clueless on the perimeter despite having high level abilities. His awareness and engagement goes in and out, and he's not a high IQ and high motor (consistently) defender like the guys ranked ahead of him. The possibility of him being able to switch 1-5 is very real, and he has a very serious chance to be a truly elite off-ball defender. His floor as a defender is a guy who can provide length and athleticism with solid playmaking, but inconsistency and lapses with irregular on-ball technique and production. Truthfully, a lot of it's in Johnson's control and he's going to need a very good coaching staff that can motivate and guide him.

Measurables: 95 19 6'8 210 6'11 wingspan

Functional Athleticism: 95 Very good vertical leap Great open court speed, especially with the ball Good lateral quickness with long lateral strides Already pretty strong, particularly in the core

General Thoughts: Jalen Johnson is another big wing with slashing and ball handling abilities with major upside on the defensive side of the floor, but has a lot of question marks following his exit from Duke midway through their season. Johnson is a lottery talent based off of talent alone, but there are other off court concerns which make Johnson difficult to evaluate. He also left IMG halfway through his senior season, so that's 2 years in a row he has not been able to make it through a full season (not injury related). These concerns are not mine to investigate and I'm not going to speculate on anything, but if he drops in the draft this could be the reason why. He is certainly talented enough to be a consensus top 10 guy.



Analysis done by @Draft1000. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
Kill3rs
u/Dreamville

#9

RANK


Comparisons: Aaron Gordon and Tobias Harris

Johnson''s debut had him going for 19 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 4 steals. This kid can play no cap. He was a great fit for Duke when Zion left.



Analysis done by @Dreamville. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
Lightzout☄️
u/Cavsfan

#13

RANK


Solid Defender,pretty good rebounder and passer. He also has enormous potential but will need to do a lot of work on his jumper and overall offensive tool kit but really needs to make jumper more consistent.He also has some character issues with him giving up on high school and college teams.

Ceiling-Better Tobias Harris or Ben Simmons ish

Floor-Aaron Gordon like

Peak stats-24PPG-10RPG-5APG



Analysis done by @Cavsfan. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
Basketball
u/Basketball

#19

RANK


Jalen Johnson has a bunch of potential, similar to Kuminga, lower ceiling, and also, quit on his team. Check out Amdaymond's big board who will argue that he didn't to hear the other perspective.

He could be a lottery pick because he has a ton of potential, what teams want.

Draft range: 12-20

Johnson has a lot of potential and a good amount of risk. Teams may pass because the risk/reward ratio isn't good enough for them.



Analysis done by @Basketball. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
Green Panda
u/GreenPanda

#6

RANK


Positives

-Lethal transition player, fast for a forward, puts a lot of pressure on the rim

-Awesome vertical athlete, posters, putback dunks, lobs, did it all at Duke

-Got his baskets in the halfcourt mostly as a cutter, roller or standing in the dunker''s spot, good off-ball feel

-Solid potential as a post player, scoring needs polish but the size is there

-Passing was his absolutely most eye-popping attribute, made some great reads, good feel in transition, passing out of doubles and to cutters from the post on point, showed some really advanced passing potential in the halfcourt too

-Good finisher at the rim when he gets the lane

-Defense mostly in flashes, quick hands, guarding 3s and 4s will be his primary job but can get tough with centers inside and showed quickness to keep up with guards on switches, took some nice charges and athleticism allows him to be a good help rim protector

-Will be a very good rebounder if the motor is there

Negatives

-Jumper extremely questionable, hesitated to take shots outside of the paint, form doesn''t look good and inconsistent, shot only 63% from the line, though he did shoot 8/18 on 3s this season, but that''s far from what he is as a shooter, shooting will be a big factor for his NBA career

-His burst is average and he isn''t a great athlete when he is crowded, doesn''t have many moves he can go to in the halfcourt, struggled mightily against better defenses who take away his "one jab-go" move

-Has moments where he avoids contact on drives instead of using his body

-Decision making not great, BBIQ can definitely be questioned

-Doesn''t seem to understand fundamentals of playing pick and roll defense, defensive IQ and effort need to improve, had a lot of lazy and dumb plays (fouls, getting beat with one move on the perimeter, allowing layups, etc.)

-Scouts will definitely question his commitment and mentality after switching high schools 3 times only to end up leaving IMG anyways, also left Duke mid-season to prepare for the Draft, body language with teammate mistakes wasn''t encouraging, is he good for the team?

Likely range: 6-15



Analysis done by @GreenPanda. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
Coops Corner
u/Coopgt3PTT

#10

RANK


Similar style to Tobias Harris or Danny Granger. Still pretty raw IMO but has potential to be pretty good.



Analysis done by @Coopgt3PTT. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.
Norrin Radd
u/trojansandhoyas

#7

RANK


Can play at both ends of the floor well. Played efficiently. On a very good but not great team. At least comparatively to other former Duke teams. Possesses good length. Has underrated court vision and a good mid range game. Can knock down a shot from outside occasionally too. His game is also similar to that of a non knucklehead version of Lamar Odom. He started the year out strong and then got hurt. Then came back and decided to declare in mid season and get ready for the draft. His game is similar to a young Lamar Odom. We never really truly saw the full extent of Johnson at full strength this year. This may or may not hurt his stock, but the talent is there. For what it is worth, Duke did not make the big dance without Jalen Johnson in the lineup.



Analysis done by @trojansandhoyas. View their full  draft big board and scouting reports here.