Jalen Johnson could be dark horse selection for Warriors at No. 7

The Golden State Warriors plan to workout Jalen Johnson, among other top-tier prospects expected to be on the board at No. 7. However, given the fit, Johnson seems like an underrated target.

Johnson, given his early leaving from Duke, may not have the best draft stock. He was a top-tier, five-star prospect coming out of high school, but he was set back in the draft by not putting on a show at a high-profile university.

Despite the hype in the Warriors organization centering around Davion Mitchell, Duke forward Jalen Johnson seems to be a very possible candidate at No. 7.

While his attitude could be a problem eventually, that shouldn’t deter the Warriors from targeting the high-potential forward. Johnson, during the 13 games he played at Duke, averaged 11.2 points per game.

At 6-foot-9, Johnson is expected to be the best forward on the board at No. 7. A plethora of combo forwards like Scottie Barnes are expected to fly off the board with five of the first seven picks potentially being small forwards.

Despite shooting just 1.4 triples per game, Johnson knocked down 44.4 percent of his attempts. He shot over 52 percent from the field. The efficiency is there. The upside for Johnson should be there as well.

NBADraft.net is giving him Stephen Jackson comparisons. Aaron Gordon, Rudy Gay, and a taller RJ Barrett are who The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor compared him to. They have him dropping as low as No. 12 though.

"“He could go as high as six or seven, though most mock drafts have him in the back-end of the lottery. Still, as we saw last year with Tyrese Haliburton and Deni Avdija, guys can fall and sometimes much further than anyone expected,” NBC Sports’ Chase Hughes wrote about Johnson."

Johnson is an exciting playmaker, something O’Connor also noted. He wasn’t quite able to full put that on display at Duke, but the hope would be that eventually the Warriors could make him an All-Star talent.

Now, Johnson certainly isn’t the best win-now pick.

If that’s the route the Warriors go, they’ll almost certainly take Davion Mitchell at No. 7. However, the Warriors should also be planning for the future, and at 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Johnson would help them do just that.

He’s a long-term project as even Moses Moody would be a much better win-now candidate. However, his upside as a scorer, his length, and his athleticism gives him the edge over almost every other prospect that will be available at No. 7.

It may not be the path Golden State takes, but it’s not one I’d be upset if they explored.