NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Looking ahead to the top 2020 prospects

Jalen Johnson – Milwaukee, WI

SF | 6-foot-8 | 215 lbs | No. 3 overall

Jalen Johnson is a prototypical point forward with absolutely tremendous size at 6-foot-8. He operates almost as well in the halfcourt as he does in transition and there might not be a more polished player in the class. He sees the floor remarkably well, owns excellent ball handling, and is a strong perimeter shooter. He can pretty much do it all on the offensive end, although part of that could be due to the fact that his size and quickness make him a matchup nightmare at the high school level.

Going off this, he is not a great defender and could struggle to get by stronger defenders at the college level offensively. Even with that said, it would be a mistake to think that he does not have all of the talent needed to be not only be a college star but an NBA star as well in the near future. His ability to snag rebounds and immediately initiate the offense as a primary creator is perhaps his best skill but he has the total package for a high school player. Adding more strength could be the key to unlocking his complete potential and that should come with time.

Although his complete junior year stats are not posted, Johnson flashed his all-around game in the Wisconsin Division-II state title game. He recorded 20 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks to carry Nicolet to the gold ball. It will be interesting to see where he ends up committing but there should be no doubt that he will be a stud.