NBA Draft 2021: Cade Cunningham clear No. 1 pick in way-too-early mock draft

A 6’9 point-forward with terrific speed and power in the open floor, Johnson will surely draw comparisons to Philadelphia 76ers “guard” Ben Simmons for his intersection of size, playmaking, and defensive impact. It’s doubtful whether he’ll ever be a threat from beyond the arc and he struggles to create in the halfcourt, but players his size with his profile are hard to come by.

Just how high Johnson goes in the 2021 NBA Draft is uncertain. He’s going to be competing for on-ball reps on a stacked Duke team with several five-star creators, and a strange senior year of high school — where he barely played and transferred mid-season — has some evaluators viewing him with caution. Regardless, he’s a bona fide lottery pick

At one point considering various scholarship offers (Auburn, Memphis, Oregon) and overseas opportunities, Jalen Green opted to pursue his own path and join the inaugural G League select team — later named G League Ignite — making the jump straight to the pros and foregoing his college eligibility.

The Prolific Prep star is as explosive as they come and figures to be an excellent slasher, but the shotmaking and decision-making still have a way to go. He’s rough around the edges, but there’s too much shine about him to picture him sliding out of the top five.

There are very few basketball players who are 7-feet tall and blessed with quick-twitch leaping and advanced instincts as an interior defender and shot blocker. There are even fewer players who possess such characteristics while also displaying real guard skills as a handler and passer, which makes USC freshman Evan Mobley such a tantalizing prospect.

The questions over Mobley’s motor, contact aversion, and jumpshot — the mechanics are segmented and he shoots it on the way down — are real, but his upside in the modern NBA is monstrous.