Jalen Johnson
This would be the ultimate gamble for the Kings. It is likely that they will go after a more-proven commodity with a workload but Jalen Johnson could fall right into their lap. Johnson played just 13 games for Duke before opting out of the season. This makes him unknown for the most part and it will interesting to see how this will impact his draft stock moving forward.
There have been some that have questioned Jalen Johnson’s mentality. He opted out of his freshman year with the Blue Devils after playing for four different high schools during his career. Johnson suffered a fall in the high-school rankings before coming to Duke but his skillset is NBA-ready. He has the size and explosiveness to be a bench player right away for a team like Sacramento.
It would have been intriguing to see how a full collegiate season would have impacted the perception of Jalen Johnson entering the draft. This was a down year for Duke and one where they will rely on Johnson as their lottery pick.
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For the Kings, they could take a huge risk on Jalen Johnson if they believe the reward could be just as big. Johnson will have a lot to prove right away and will not get much time before the public starts to form an opinion.
