Indiana Pacers: Draft or pass? 4 lottery prospects in play

Jalen Johnson – Forward (Duke)

Jalen Johnson is an exciting but worrisome prospect in the lottery. His size and athleticism are a dangerous pairing for a player with his skill set. Johnson thrives as a cutter who can attack the basket as well as anyone while also being a very skillful passer in the frontcourt.

He does a great job of finding the open space on the offensive end and getting easy buckets down low. His vision as a passer is hard to pass up, especially for a player with his length. After rebounds and steals, Johnson is an excellent outlet passer and transition starter as a point forward.

There will be concerns about his leadership and character after he opted out midway through the season but we never know the full story. The on-the-court things that concern me with Johnson are his shooting struggles and turnovers. He is not a good three-point shooter and his struggles at the free-throw line indicate that shooting may never be a strength.

Johnson also finished his season with more turnovers than assists which is never a good thing. With limited experience at the college level, it could take a while for Johnson to catch up to the speed of the NBA while his weaknesses get exposed.

I am also not a fan of a potential Johnson-Sabonis pairing in the frontcourt since their strengths mirror each other. Having two ball-dominant big men with questions defensively and as shooters would not be ideal.

Verdict: Pass