It’s hard to believe now but Magic Johnson was not seen as the top player in his class. He was one of the three best but generally ranked behind Gene Banks, who went to Duke, and Albert King, who wound up at Maryland.
Johnson was a 6-9 forward who ludicrously wanted to be a point guard - not many people thought he could do it, much less that a 6-9 point guard was a good idea.
He proved very quickly that not only was he a superb passer with stunning vision but he was an absolute winner.