With the NBA Draft coming up on June 22, A Royal Pain is covering the prospects the Sacramento Kings could select. Today, we take a look at Josh Jackson.
The 2017 NBA Draft could be a turning point in the Sacramento Kings franchises history. They have two top ten selections to improve their roster and return to their former glory. Throw in a second round pick at 34th overall, and that makes three fantastic opportunities to secure talent on June 22.
With the draft being such an important day for the Kings, the A Royal Pain team has decided to profile the draft prospects in an attempt to give you the information you desire about each and every player.
Today, we will examine another likely top five selection in Josh Jackson. We will first take a look at some background information before going into his strengths and weaknesses. That will be followed by how he fits with Sacramento and some final thoughts. Let us jump right into it.
Background Information (via Draft Express)
Height- 6’8
Weight- 203 lbs
Position- SF
Age- 20 (Born: February 10, 1997)
College- Kansas
Hometown- Southfield, MI
College Stats (via Sports Reference)
2016-2017: 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.1 blocks, 2.8 turnovers, 1.0 three-pointers made in 30.8 minutes per game over 35 games. Shooting percentages: 51.3% field, 37.8 three-point, 56.6 free throw
2016-2017 Highlight video
Strengths
Defense
Josh Jackson is the most NBA ready defender in this draft class to my eyes. He has good lateral quickness and can move his feet well in a squat position. I am impressed with his ability to guard one-on-one and play the passing lanes. Jackson is by no means a finished product, but the defensive ceiling is 30 feet.
The traditional defensive stats at Kansas last season showed Jackson could create turnovers and rebound effectively for a wing. The advanced metrics rated Jackson’s defensive box score plus/minus at positive 5.7 and his defensive win shares at positive 2.2. Clearly, Josh Jackson brings it on the defensive end of the floor.
Diverse Offensive Game
Josh Jackson can do a ton of things on the offensive end of the floor. That is not to say he is “elite’ at everything, but he shows the ability to do a plethora of things.
If you watched the highlight video, you know this young man can throw down a dunk. His explosiveness and ability to catch a lob at his height are impressive. Jackson is also quick at getting off the floor and dunking in traffic, two things that could create a lot of highlights in the league.
The more tape of Jackson you watch, the more you enjoy his diverse skill set. He can handle the ball (definitely not elite and is slightly turnover prone), pass, and shoot effectively. His most impressive attribute to my eye was his movement without the ball. Jackson was quick and sneaky cutting to the rim and laying in an easy bucket against NCAA competition. Jackson will have to find his niche in the NBA, but with the diversity his offensive game, he should be effective against the next level talent.
Weaknesses
Streaky Shooter
Josh Jackson did something unexpected last season when he shot 37.8% from three-point territory. Jackson is a poor free throw shooter and was not expected to be that kind of threat from three-point distance. Consider this, Jackson connected on 9 of 38 three-point attempts through his first 18 college games. In case you did not want to do the math that is 23.7% connect percentage. In the final 17 games of the season, he shot 25 of 52 or 48.1% from three. Which sample is Josh Jackson’s actual talent?
Jackson’s shooting mechanics are unconventional and inconsistent which is worrisome. DraftExpress did a great job explaining his mechanics so check out their article to read more about it. I believe Jackson will struggle with his jumpers in the NBA and may need to completely overhaul his shooting mechanics to find success (a dangerous proposition as players like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist have had little success in many attempts at doing just that).
There is a role in the NBA for a defense-first player who lacks a jump shot, but he is never a superstar, so Jackson will need to improve his j and consistency to unlock his full potential.
Frame
Jackson does not have the height, length, or size to play the four in the NBA. That limits his versatility slightly in a league that is always going smaller. Jackson should do well guarding one through three, though.
The worry is Jackson will not add much to his slight frame as he is already 20 years old and weighed 193 lbs. in 2014 at the USA Basketball camp according to DraftExpress. That means he added 10 pounds in two years, but it is not enough to guard the NBA fours. If your second biggest complaint is that a player is a slightly too small to defend two of the five players on the NBA court you are apparently getting a tremendous talent in Josh Jackson.
Fit with Sacramento
As my colleague, Michael Dugger wrote defense is the area the Sacramento Kings need to improve to turn their fortunes around. You can read the full article here. Drafting the best and most NBA ready defender would be a huge step in the right direction, and Josh Jackson is that player.
I do not see Jackson slipping past the Phoenix Suns at pick four overall, so Sacramento would probably need to move up to select him. That would be a mistake especially if they had to include pick ten overall or a future first round pick. This Sacramento roster needs to add talent and draft picks are never a sure thing, so taking two shots at a franchise-altering player is better than one any day.
I would love to see Jackson in a Kings uniform. I do not see a plausible way it happens in this draft, but you never know come draft night.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, my prospect profile on Josh Jackson. Big thanks to DraftExpress for all their help in producing this piece. They are a fantastic resource for NBA prospects. They provide in-depth information and videos on each player, so please check them out for more information the draft.
Josh Jackson was the star of a Kansas team that made the Elite Eight but is far from a sure thing in the NBA. I suspect the defense and craftiness on offense will translate well to the NBA, but that jump shot is a problem. Maybe he fixes or may he succeeds without it, but please Sacramento, do not trade up to find out. If he falls to pick five, take him and make him the best version of Josh Jackson, but do not expect him to be a great shooter.
Next: A Royal Prospect: Jonathan Issac
A Royal Pain has all the content you desire about the Sacramento Kings this offseason. In addition to the draft, we will be covering free agency and all those juicy rumors, so please check back with us often. Thank you for reading.