OKC Thunder can capitalize on Pascal Siakam trade fallout
By Rylan Stiles
Isaiah Jackson
With this move to acquire Pascal Siakam, it seems likely that Rick Carlisle will have to dip into Jackson's minutes to make room for his new-look rotation. With that being said, could Jackson be disposable for Indiana?
Isaiah Jackson is owed 2.6 million dollars this season and 4.4 million dollars next year before becoming a restricted free agent in 2025-26.
Jackson was selected 22nd overall in the 2021 NBA Draft, and leading up to draft night, the OKC Thunder worked out the Kentucky big man who performed well in that setting.
Ultimately, the OKC Thunder passed on the big man, and the 6'10, 206-pounder landed in Indiana. So far in his NBA career, Jackson has logged 131 career NBA games, averaging seven points, four rebounds, an assist, and 2 STOCKS per game this season.
This has been a career-best year for Jackson, shooting 74 percent at the rim (76th percent), carer0high 67 percentile in the long mid-range, but still not taking three-point attempts, just two total shots on the year (both misses) from beyond the arc.
Jackson has made a ten percentage point jump at the rim, and seven percentage point jump in the long-mid-range before averaging out at 45 percent in the entire mid-range area which ranks him in the 60th percentile.
Jackson plays 14 minutes a tilt, as he ranks in the 90th percentile in overall offense according to Synergy, including 96th percentile in transition, 66th percentile as a cutter, and 71st percentile as a pick-and-roll partner rolling to the rim.
On the Defensive end, Synergy ranks Jackson as a good defender (54th percentile overall); Jackson is excellent at defending the pick-and-roll with the ability to go out on an island on switches, blitz the ball handler effectively, and drop with the roll man to the ring and prevent easy shots.
Isaiah Jackson allows just 41 percent at the rim, which is 0.87 points per possession, and lands him in the 86th percentile as a rim protector.
Adding the Kentucky big man as a change of pace option for Mark Daigneault and a much-needed backup big man makes the OKC Thunder roster fit so much smoother connecting the rotation together and allowing others to return to more nature positions.
While Jackson can not space the sloot as a shooter, his play-finishing ability is still enticing for the OKC Thunder. The question becomes, are the Indiana Pacers willing to move on from the young, cheap, and controllable big?