Mar 21, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Stanley Johnson (5) shoots the basketball against Ohio State Buckeyes forward Keita Bates-Diop (33) during the second half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. The Wildcats defeated the Buckeyes 73-58. Mandatory Credit: Godofredo Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Scottie Pippen is considered one of the best small forwards in NBA history, and Arizona’s Stanley Johnson similarities to him are worth considering.

Orlando has a major need for a wing defender, and Arizona’s Stanley Johnson may be just the perfect talent to integrate into what should be a strong defensive roster. He offers a lot of virtues that Justise Winslow lacks, despite Winslow being a bit of a fan favorite choice in this year’s draft.

And Stanley Johnson could quietly be one of the top-three players in the 2015 draft class. His freshman year at Arizona was just statistically and stylistically underwhelming despite the lofty high school rankings and expectations scouts had for him.

We have looked at the spectacular talent available to teams at the No. 5 pick, but keying in on a certain comparison seems appropriate: Could Stanley Johnson eventually become what Scottie Pippen was to the Bulls in the 1990s?

Johnson, to be sure, shares a lot in common with Pippen. Both are long, rangy athletic defenders capable of locking down a premier wing player.

Like Pippen, Johnson has a versatile offensive game that is hard to stop. He is a lights-out shooter (37.1 percent 3-point shooting last season at Arizona) with extreme athleticism, a combination that has rendered some NBA players at the top of the exclusive club we know as the NBA.

Johnson comes with a high billing, but so did Pippen coming out of Central Arkansas and impressing the Chicago Bulls enough to warrant trading for the No. 5 overall pick in a deal that worked out heavily in Chicago’s favor (Olden Polynice and a pair of draft picks).

Pippen went on to become a legend, becoming known as Michael Jordan’s sidekick, and a player whose versatile talents could result in major shifts throughout a game. Pippen averaged 2.6 steals/blocks for his career, and he scored 17 points per game or more in seven NBA seasons. Johnson posted 1.9 steals/blocks per game in his lone year at Arizona as a freshman.

Pippen’s quick feet and length enabled him to cover point guards and all wing players. Johnson boasts that is one of the things he brings to the table, “the ability to play four positions defensively.” Johnson’s defensive versatility is something he touted as his greatest asset and ability to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders:

“In today’s day and age, it’s about defensive versatility. How many people you can guard and how well you can do it. I can guard fours. I can guard Draymond Green. I can guard Kawhi Leonard. I can guard Mike Conley — I can stay with him at least. You guard people in stints, I can definitely stint the minutes for sure.”

How could the Magic not fall in love with a talent like that?

Johnson is longer than Justise Winslow and a more flexible talent in terms of playing multiple positions. He could easily become the best player in this draft class, and the fact he will most likely be selected out of the top-5 means some team is due to get a major steal.

Pippen’s Hall of Fame career spanned 17 NBA seasons ending with a final 23-game farewell tour in Chicago, where it all started. Pippen won six NBA championships and in his twilight years he reinvented himself as a point forward, helping the Portland Trail Blazers by adding one sane player with great experience to their early 2000s contending run.

Johnson will have to put in the work to become a leader, because he could be that kind of guy. He also could average 2.9 steals per game like the 11-time first team All-NBA defense selection or post strong individual defensive rating or defensive win shares.

Comparing Johnson to Pippen is a bit of a reach, even to the most optimistic about Johnson’s prospects. Pippen was a unique talent and cracked the NBA’s top-50 players at its 50th anniversary. He was a player who was more than just a sidekick and led the Bulls to a 50-win season even with Jordan playing baseball in 1994.

Johnson, though, may be a better shooter than Scottie, and much like Pippen he also could be a big minutes player.

That is to say, the Magic could unearth the best diamond in the class, featured in a draft that has no less than 10 talents capable of making major impacts.

Johnson has not received the Pippen billing much, but maybe individual workouts will boost his stock and cause him to leapfrog some of the players in front of him on the draft board. We’ve been scouting Johnson for some time now, and all indications are that he would be a perfect fit at the 3-spot.

Given the Magic already have Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton suffocating opposing guards, Johnson could be the wing player to complete the picture on the perimeter. Orlando could potentially be a very dangerous defensive team, and adding Johnson would help carve an identity and defensive culture that would render Orlando a postseason participant once again.