Every year, Duke basketball reloads with freshmen ranked among the best players in their class. 2020-21 should be no exception, with the Blue Devils’ class ranked third in the 247Sports Composite.
And the most highly regarded player of that group is Milwaukee product Jalen Johnson, an intriguing mix of skills in a 6-foot-8, 215-pound frame. While those measurements might normally condemn a player to the four spot, Johnson’s strength is in his ability to create.
“I think he has great court presence,” said Jerry Meyer, 247Sports director of basketball scouting. “He really sees the court, has great size and really handles the ball well. And he can execute what he sees: he has the skill to take advantage of his vision. He’s a guy who seems a little larger than he is because his impact is court-wide. One of those players where you feel like anything can happen.”
So what will happen with the No. 2 small forward and No. 11 overall player in the 247Sports Composite? Johnson’s versatility was evident at Nicolet (Wisc.), where he averaged 26.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game in the three playoff games before the season was called. But where a player plays is dependent on what position he can defend, which raises the question: Can Johnson defend threes (small forwards, his listed position) at the next level?
“I would think so,” Meyer said. “I think he’s a good defender, but he has the ability to be a really good defender. To me, I think [he has the potential to be] a 2-through-4 type defender.”
Meyer also said that Johnson’s basketball intelligence could allow him to pick up the intricacies of team defense and excel in that area.
“You can find guys who are really skilled on offense, who are good dribblers, good shooters, and you have guys with high basketball IQ,” Meyer said. “The former may not translate to defense. The latter often does.”
And Meyer said that Johnson had a strong fit with Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils, who have a history of letting jumbo-sized playmakers have the ball. As good a point guard as Tre Jones was as a freshman, RJ Barrett used 31.5 percent of Duke’s possessions when he was on the court and had an assist rate (23.5 percent) almost identical to that of Jones (24 percent).
Of that team’s combined pick-and-roll ball-handling and isolation possessions, the breakdown went like this (per Synergy):
1. Barrett (6-foot-7) — 169 possessions (87 as ball-handler in pick-and-roll, 82 isolation)
2. Zion Williamson (6-7) — 71 possessions (22, 49)
3. Cam Reddish (6-8) — 71 possessions (43, 28)
4. Jones (6-3) — 58 posssessions (34, 24)
The point? Even in halfcourt situations, Krzyzewski wasn’t afraid to give his best players the ball to make things happen, even when said player isn’t a traditional guard, and even when said player is playing alongside a true point guard.
Johnson could have an advantage in that respect as well; Meyer noted that incoming five-star point guard Jeremy Roach was comfortable playing off the ball — he's a solid shooter — as well.
“He’s not a guy that has to dribble it into the floor,” Meyer said.
That could open up opportunities for Johnson to do what he does best, and could allow Duke to take advantage of the ensuing mismatches, where he can out-size and overpower most perimeter defenders, or use his skill to take advantage of similarly sized players asked to trail him away from the basket.
“Coach K is a great coach,” Meyer said. “He’s coached the best players in the world, and he’s a modern coach. He’s adaptable. Generally, he’s going to get the ball where it needs to be and lets the players’ skill dictate [the action].
“He isn’t trapped in archaic systems or forms of thought,” Meyer said. “So if you’re talking about what Jalen Johnson can do at Duke, it’s really up to Jalen Johnson. Whatever he can do, and do well, he’s going to be able to do.”
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May 20, 2020 at 01:08AM
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Jalen Johnson a strong fit with Duke basketball - 247Sports
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