A Duke basketball draft prospect got a glowing review from an NBA Hall of Famer.
When one of the best basketball players of all time compliments your game, you must be doing something right, and Magic Johnson loves the way one Duke basketball prospect plays the game.
Cassius Stanley is in a strange situation on the eve of the 2020 NBA Draft, like all three former Blue Devils.
Stanley, similar to Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr., does not have a firm first-round grade. He is projected to be selected anywhere from the end of the first round to the middle of the second round despite his athletic abilities and performance in his freshman season in Durham.
G @cassius_stanley with his 44" vertical is one of the best athletes in the NBA Draft. A gym rat and a competitor, he will be a better NBA player than college player!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 16, 2020
Johnson projects the Los Angeles native to have a better career in the NBA than he did at Duke, and his opinion is formed around the idea of the difference in spacing at the professional level than in college.
Given the raw athleticism of Cassius Stanley, he should thrive in an NBA system that likes to get up and down the floor and attack the basket, something he proved to excel at as a Blue Devil.
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In his lone season in Durham, Stanley was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and averaged 12.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3-point range.
Unfortunately for Magic Johnson, he did not get an up-close look at Stanley this past season as the shooting guard was out with a leg injury when the Blue Devils went to East Lansing and defeated Johnson’s alma-mater Michigan State, 87-75.
Could Magic Johnson help bring the Duke basketball product home?
Previously serving as the president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, beginning in 2017, Johnson helped bring LeBron James to L.A., but he left the team following the 2019 season.
Magic Johnson is still heavily connected with the franchise, though, specifically with owner Jeanie Buss as well as vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka. So Johnson could be hinting at a chance the hometown kid gets drafted by his favorite team.
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The Lakers were only scheduled to have one selection in Wednesday night’s NBA Draft, and it was in the area where some experts see Stanley potentially falling, No. 28 overall.
However, the Lakers reportedly traded that pick away to the Oklahoma City Thunder for point guard Dennis Schroder, and Los Angeles would have to trade back into the draft if they want to select the Duke basketball guard.
Cassius Stanley will wait to hear his name called as the NBA will hold a virtual draft beginning at 7:30pm EST on ESPN.