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Four-star point guard Marcus Johnson is one of the earliest prospects from the 2026 class to commit to a school, choosing the Ohio State Buckeyes. After having already announced his decision, he continued to impress during the Nike EYBL Circuit with his AAU team, the Gym Rats.
T.K. Productions called Johnson "one of the best pure scorers in the country" on Wednesday and then asked fans which NBA player he reminded them of.
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Many said he reminds them of James Harden, especially when "The Beard" was still with the Houston Rockets.
"James harden Houston days," one fan wrote.
"Harden FaSho‼️#doubleuno‼️🤷🏿♂️," another commenter noted.
However, several other commenters believed that Marcus Johnson reminded them of other NBA players.
"Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) slow to fast pace controls the game dosent let ppl control his pace good scorer on all three levels 🔥" said one commenter.
"Gilbert Arenas…I know that’s old school…but," another person said.
"Mike Conley and Jalen Brunson," another commenter pointed out.
Some said nobody.
"Nobody! His NBA comparison is himself," said one fan.
"He is Marcus Johnson & no one but himself!!!!!" added another commenter.
Johnson was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball and the Gatorade Player of the Year for Ohio last month. He is ranked No. 20 in the ESPN 100 Rankings, but is ranked lower by 247Sports at No. 36.
Marcus Johnson praises Ohio State Buckeyes basketball coaches
Marcus Johnson committed to Ohio State a month ago, way before beginning his senior year this fall. One of the biggest reasons for his commitment is the coaches, particularly head coach Jake Diebler and assistants Talor Battle and Joel Justus, as he revealed during an interview with ElevenWarriors.com in March.
"They mean a lot. Wonderful dudes, man," he said. "Coach Diebler, Coach Battle and Coach Joel always text me and communicate with me. Definitely love my guys."
He will not join the Buckeyes until 2026-27, with Ohio State expecting to get four-star center A’mare Bynum and four-star shooting guard Dorian Jones for the 2025-26 season. However, he is not the only Class of 2026 commit who Ohio State has, as fellow Ohio native and three-star forward Alex Smith has also committed to Jake Diebler's program already.
