Thunderous Intentions
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Four First Round Draft prospects the Thunder should avoid

By Austin Sternlicht

Mar 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Harry Giles (1) reacts after a dunk against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half of the ACC Conference Tournament final at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Harry Giles (1) reacts after a dunk against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half of the ACC Conference Tournament final at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Frank Jackson
Frank Jackson /

Mar 19, 2017; Greenville, SC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Frank Jackson (15) drives to the basket against South Carolina Gamecocks guard PJ Dozier (15) in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Frank Jackson

Like Giles, Jackson was a five-star recruit in the class of 2016 who chose to play at Duke.  He didn’t have a terrible season, playing 24.9 minutes a game, averaging 10.9 points on a 56.4 effective field goal percentage. However, he was at the back of the pecking order behind Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen, and Jayson Tatum. He simply didn’t have the same opportunities to show what he was capable of doing.

Jackson’s biggest issue is that he’s a shooting guard trapped in a point guards body. He’s a score-first guard who doesn’t have strong court vision or a knack for getting his teammates involved. He averaged just 2.7 assists per 40 minutes. At 6’3, he won’t really be able to guard most shooting guards, severely limiting his defensive versatility.

The Thunder badly need a back up point guard that can initiate offense while Russell Westbrook sits. Jackson has not shown he is capable of doing this. He has shown to be turnover prone and often struggles to hit open passers. Oklahoma City already has enough shoot-first players, so Jackson wouldn’t help this team progress.

If Jackson falls into the second round, the Thunder could certainly consider trading for him. They could let him develop in the D-League and work on his playmaking. Jackson has the chance to turn into a quality point guard. However, he is nowhere near ready to be one right now, and it would be incredibly unwise for OKC to draft him at 21. The Thunder are much better off taking a more established point guard in the second round like Monte Morris or Nigel Williams-Goss.

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