OKC Thunder NBA Draft prospect series: Justin Jackson
The 2017 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday June 22nd with the Oklahoma City Thunder selecting 21st. Many of the elite prospects will be out of the Thunder’s range. UNC’s Justin Jackson is one example of this.
While the Thunder badly need a wing like Justin Jackson, GM Sam Presti is unlikely to trade up for him. Still, Thunderous Intentions’ draft prospect series takes a look at Jackson and his potential fit in OKC.
In the 2014 ESPN college basketball recruiting top 100, Justin Jackson was ranked 8th overall, ahead of current NBA stars like Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Devin Booker. Aside from teammate Theo Pinson, Jackson is the only top ten high school recruit from that class not in the NBA. Instead, the five-star prospect spent three seasons in Chapel Hill, where he capped his collegiate career with an NCAA Championship. Now, Jackson will look to build off his successful college career and become a productive NBA player.
Specifics
Height: 6′ 8″
Weight: 193 Ibs
Wingspan: 6’11”
Position: Small Forward
Age: 22
Statline: 39 Games, 32.2 minutes,18.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists.
College: University of North Carolina (Junior)
Home Town: Houston, Texas, USA
Current rankings:
(note – rankings are taken on day of article posting and therefore may be listed at a similar rank as previously posted prospect reviews)
DraftExpress: 13th overall prospect
Bleacher Report: 9
CBS Sports: 14
Basketball Insiders: 13
ESPN Chad Ford: 25
Strengths:
Jackson is an NBA ready scorer. His lengthy frame allows him to shoot over most defenders. He has a high basketball I.Q. and knows how to make great reads as a shooter, passer, and cutter. During his time at UNC, Jackson developed a great three-point game. His junior year, he hit 3.2 three pointers per 40 minutes at a 37 percent rate. Looking at film, you can see how deep some of his three pointers are. He will have no problem adjusting to the range of NBA three pointers. The 2017 ACC Player of the Year also has a decent mid-range game. According to Synergy Sports, Justin Jackson hit 41 percent of his floaters on 75 attempts. He also has a nice pull-up game and push shot.
Jackson is also a decent passer. He knows how to read defenses and hit the open man. When he gets double-teamed, he knows how to get rid of the ball and find cutters. Jackson’s passing will be useful for NBA teams trying to incorporate more ball movement.
Because of Justin Jackson’s length, he can be a solid NBA defender. He uses his hands to disrupt passing lanes and contest shots. He has decent footwork that allows him to stay in front of his man. If he gets beat, he can use his length to recover.
Jackson is arguably one of if not the most NBA-ready prospect. He would be a great fit for a contending team that doesn’t want to wait a year or more developing a prospect that isn’t ready to play right away.
Weaknesses:
What Jackson has in length, he lacks in strength and physicality. Draft Express’ Josh Riddell takes a look at this in greater detail.
"While Jackson has shown clear skill development, there are still some things he has to address to compete nightly against NBA wings. At 6’8 with a 6’11 wingspan, he has very good size and length for a wing, but is just an average athlete by NBA standards. He’s a fluid athlete, but lacks a degree of explosiveness. His frame is on the thin side at 201 pounds, which is a cause for concern as a 22 year old junior, since he’ll likely always be somewhat lanky. He’ll have to continue to get stronger to handle the physicality of a NBA schedule as a small forward, much less be able to spend any time as a small-ball 4-man, which many teams like to see their small forwards do these days."
This impacts him on offense because he struggles to finish at the rim, and on defense because he will get backed down in the post and give up easy baskets. Jackson is going to need to bulk up if he wants to be more than just an offensive specialist in this league.
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Aside from his body, Jackson’s shot selection is going to need improvement. He takes a wide array of deep, off-balance shots that won’t fly with NBA coaches. In the NBA, Jackson won’t be asked to take difficult shots, but needs to be able to make smart decisions, something he is more than capable of doing.
One more area of improvement Jackson needs to address is his rebounding. He averaged just 4 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes. As a small forward with a wingspan of almost seven feet, this is something he will need to address.
The Fit:
The Thunder are desperate for a wing and Jackson could fit the bill. He is a great spot-up shooter that could mesh well next to Russell Westbrook. If he bulks up enough, he would be great in smaller lineups as a power forward.
All that being said, The Thunder already have a similar version of Jackson on their roster in Doug McDermott. Jackson will most likely be gone by the end of the lottery or in the 15-18 range. It doesn’t make sense for Presti to give up assets and trade for Jackson with an older and more mature version of him. The Thunder are much better off letting McDermott continue to develop rather than give away more assets to trade for something already on the roster.