#6- Tre Johnson (Washington Wizards)
It’s probably a little overzealous to say that a top-six draft pick could outperform his draft position, as they’re already expected to be quite useful. However, Johnson looks like a steal for the Wizards. During two games of summer league, he more than solidified his status as an elite all-around shooting threat, and the numbers back this sentiment. He’ll definitely need to tighten up his handle and decision-making to shore up his turnover rate but there isn’t a team that wouldn’t take his 58% FG and 46% 3P (albeit a small sample size) right now. Should he remain on this current trajectory, Johnson could emerge as one of the top few players from this draft.
#25- Jase Richardson (Orlando Magic)
Although a lot of folks were high on him at Michigan State and coming into the draft, Richardson still fell to the end of the first round. That being said, there’s a very real path for him to be a meaningful rotation piece pretty early for this group. Richardson has already shown flashes of being a tough, efficient utility piece whose adaptable game should allow him to contribute. He’ll provide a nice scoring punch for this defensive-minded group.
#29- Liam McNeeley (Charlotte Hornets)
There’s no telling what Charlotte has planned for tomorrow or five years from now, but they did draft some solid pieces—including McNeeley. At the very worst, he will be a quality shooting threat (think Joe Harris) but has already shown more than standstill spot-up ability. McNeeley highlighted a fairly complete game in the Summer League. He showcased efficient scoring prowess, useful playmaking instincts, and consistent rebounding on both ends of the floor. There’s somewhat of a logjam of perimeter players on this roster, but it feels like McNeeley will inevitably carve out a role for himself.