JALEN JOHNSON went to a press conference. He was going to announce something big, which would likely hurt his draft stock. He was leaving the underwhelming Duke team to prepare for the draft. Duke was terrible up to that point. They'd had a atrocious record by their standards, and Johnson was not "playing his best basketball." He announced the decision, and he was backlashed for it: people called him selfish and a quitter for quitting on his team. The Duke team made him look even more bad by playing better basketball. Jim Boeheim said that he was "hurting their team" in the minutes he played.

So my goal is to let you all know that Jalen Johnson is the real deal. I'm tired of you all saying stuff about his character. Without further ado, here is why Jalen Johnson is the most disrespected player in the draft.

I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING, why do you say Jalen Johnson is not selfish. Many of you all do not know that he first played 4 games at Duke, averaging 11.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks. Pretty good. But then, tragedy struck: he had a foot injury and Duke said he was out indefinitely. A selfish player would have sat out the rest of the season. Not Johnson. He worked to recover and get back on the court for his team. He came back from the injury in just one month to play against Syracuse. He kept his stats up, averaging 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in 13 games. Then, the decision came. People forgot what he went through to get back. Instead they focused on him "preparing to the draft." But, I mean, this happens in all kinds of sports, like football, when Ja'Marr Chase opted out of the 2020 season because his agents said he should. He wasn't "quitting" on his team, just preparing for the draft, where he was picked 5th overall. Johnson deserves no backlash for this.

I'M SURE YOU HAVE ANOTHER EXCUSE, Jalen Johnson didn't do anything at a great level at Duke, his play was underwhelming. Yes, 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks. Yes, those numbers are average for a 30 minute starter. But not for a guy who played just, 21.4 minutes in 13 games, 8 of which he started. Here are his Per 40 minutes stat and how it compares to other forwards in this draft class:

Johnson: 21.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 steals, 2.3 blocks

Wagner: 15 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.6 steals

Barnes: 16.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.7 blocks

As you can see, Johnson has the scoring advantage on both Wagner and Barnes, and although he's not the facilitator that Barnes is, he played point forward in high school. Obviously, he scored and rebounded at a high level at Duke while defending. Yes, his jump shot needs some work, as he has a 63 percent free throw percentage, but his 44.4 three-point percentage on 1.2 attempts shows some promise as a shooter.

YOUR FINAL EXCUSE IS CLEAR, Johnson did not show us much as he played just 13 games. He is still unproven. Admittedly, that is true, but the scoring and rebounding potential he showed was appealing. This makes him one of the most mysterious prospects in the draft but LaMelo Ball played limited games last year and was considered "mysterious" but he is a top candidate for Rookie of the Year.

SO NOW IT IS CLEAR, Jalen Johnson has been disrespected the past few months ever since the announcement. He should be a Top 10 prospect. He is a talent in this draft class. That's why I have him 8th on my big board.

If you liked this, give me a like and chat in the comments. I worked hard on this and really had to brainstorm. I hope you give it a like.