It’s hard to imagine how Justin Jackson is getting lost in the shuffle here as draft season rages on. The Tar Heels junior improved his points per game (18.3) and rebounding averages (4.7) while becoming a more prolific 3-point shooter — hitting at 37 percent from beyond the arc.
While the buzz around players like Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz has drowned out most everything surrounding the draft, Jackson is a star player who seems to have lost some glow amidst a sea of one-and-dones. But that was a mistake by us, the public, for forgetting his potential.
Jackson is an impressive stretch wing, but he needed some clear improvement after testing the NBA draft process last season with disappointing results. the first clear reason to love Jackson.
This is the first clear reason to love Jackson.
He went back, worked on his shot, got back to working on his shooting fundamentals and came back with a vengeance. He upped his shooting game by improving from 29 percent to 37 from deep in a season. On the defensive end, one need look no further than his tournament play to see the effect had, going up against Tyler Dorsey, Malik Monk and Jordan Mathews in the last three games. Jackson held Monk to 12 points and kept Mathews to six points despite the Gonzaga star having averaged 12 points per game throughout the tournament.
Jackson stuck with elusive guards and playing strong against bigger forwards. On the biggest stage in his collegiate career, he went out and played the whatever opponent his coach asked him to, adjusting to the game of the man across from him for some phenomenal defensive performances.
The offensive game that he brings to the table is just as enticing. He averaged 19.5 points through the tournament. But the best part of the offensive game that Jackson boasts is his immense diversity. While he improved his outside threat, he also hit 41 percent on floaters and 31 percent on pull-up jumpers. But he is not just an outside shooter, he gets dirty and into the paint with a 57 percent finish rate around the rim, according to Draft Express.
Where It All Fits On The Wolves
While he is projected in the neighborhood of pick Nos. 11-16, it would not be a reach at all to grab him seventh. He does have some drawbacks on this particular roster; however, none of them should be enough to keep him off the Wolves big board.
First the bad: He averages 2.8 assists per game. When paired with Andrew Wiggins (2.3) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2.7), there is not a lot of passing going down between the stars if Jackson joins.
None of the young guards on the roster are getting significant playing time and outside of Rickey Rubio’s 9.1 assists a game, nobody is getting the ball around. If Jackson ends up on the squad, both he and Wiggins need to improve in their passing game. With three prolific scorers, the ability to pass around the perimeter and play less isolation ball will be important.
The good: The value on flexible two-way players is getting higher by the day. Jackson can not only score off the dribble or pass, he can do it inside and out. He also can use his length to guard faster players on defense, while his speed makes short work of the larger ones on both ends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1U-S-XrmyQ
His pick-and-roll game became a staple of the North Carolina offense, which would be a huge asset when involving Wiggins or Towns. His ability to take multiple shots well also pairs well with Wiggins offensive flex and Towns has already upped his game through one season from outside. If Jackson does make it a Wolves trio, then each would be able to balance out the offense when one of them gets hot from any given spot on any given night, making an atrocious offense to game plan against.
There are plenty of reasons to love the 6-foot-8 wing, but the biggest is offense, as with a number of these players. While defense will always be important, the league is changing. Almost every offensive record in the books was broken during this last season’s Finals. With teams consistently scoring in the 110-plus point range, versatile scoring is invaluable.
Jackson has not only shown that he can be that scorer, he has also shown a tenacity to get better when staring down a challenge. Drafting him means getting a solid player, that will grind his teeth to get better when faced with adversity instead of shrinking away. That’s why you should draft Jackson.
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