Josh Jackson | SF | Kansas Jayhawks
(Thursday – 9:39 EST)
Josh Jackson was incredible in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Jackson and the Kansas Jayhawks slaughtered 16th seed UC Davis in their opening game. Jackson put up 17 points and 7 rebounds in only 23 minutes.
In his game against Michigan State on Sunday, Jackson was not as efficient putting up 23 points and 3 rebounds. However, he was incredible down the stretch scoring 14 of his 23 points in the second half. He made play after play to blow the game wide open for his team.
At 6’8”, Jackson has ideal size for a wing, flashing the ability to create off the dribble and score in a multitude of ways. He averaged 16.6 points and 7.1 rebounds this season in 30 minutes a night this season.
There are some warts to his game. He shot 38.5% from three on only 2.5 attempts per game. He also shot a porous 56.7% from the charity stripe. In the way the NBA is evolving, wings that struggle from deep and from the free-throw line tend not to be franchise cornerstones.
This does not say he can’t develop a more consistent jump shot or get to the line more frequently. DeMar DeRozan was a guy who didn’t get to line a ton or shoot a great percentage (64.6%) when he was in college. DeRozan now has become a guy who gets to the line 8.5 times a game and makes 85% of his free-throw attempts.