NBA Draft 2019: 5 most overrated prospects

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Rui Hachimura #21 and Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrate after a play against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at Honda Center on March 30, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 29: Kentucky Wildcats guard Keldon Johnson (3) tries to keep control of the ball under the basket in the first half of an NCAA Midwest Regional Sweet Sixteen game between the Houston Cougars and Kentucky Wildcats on March 29, 2019 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Keldon Johnson, Forward, Kentucky

Heading into this past season, Keldon Johnson was the highest-rated recruit in the Kentucky Wildcats 2018 freshman class. That spot has previously been held by the likes of John Wall, Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, etc. it was a big mantle for Johnson to try and live up to. After staring for the famed Oak Hill Academy in high school, it seemed like Johnson was up for the challenge. He would end up taking home SEC Freshman of the Year honors.

Looking back on his lone collegiate season, Johnson was good but not great. He averaged 13.5 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per game and played in 37 games for Kentucky. At 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, Johnson certainly has the makings of an NBA wing, but he has yet to put all the tools together to assure that he would be an impactful player in the league.

Coach Calipari does a great job of getting players to buy into what their role will be at Kentucky, sometimes that role doesn’t mirror what will be expected of them (or what they’re capable of) when they reach the NBA. Johnson might fall into that category — with Devin Booker serving as the team captain — but with the Wildcats the freshman often left you wanting more. He wasn’t great off the dribble, wasn’t a playmaker for others, his perimeter shot was inconsistent at best, and he had lapses defensively. One positive that Johnson did showcase in all 37 games is that he will play hard and isn’t afraid to bang around in the paint against bigger players.

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Johnson is entering the NBA as a piece of clay. He’s waiting and ready to be molded into whatever type of player the team that drafts him needs. However, that process could take a few years before Johnson is making noise consistently in the league. He was one of 20 players invited to the Green Room for the 2019 NBA Draft so he has fans among some teams, but he could end up being a player we look back on and think why did Team X take Johnson before Player Y.

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