This article will analyze how Justin Jackson performed in his rookie season and what grade he deserves for the year.
A Royal Pain continues its series where our squad grades how each player on the current Sacramento Kings’ roster performed during the 2017-2018 NBA season. Today’s articles will feature Justin Jackson who the Kings selected in last year’s draft.
Offense
For the year, Jackson averaged 6.7 points a contest while shooting 44.2% from the floor and 30.8% from the three-point stripe. As a scorer, Jackson had a subpar year. A player who was known as a solid perimeter shooter in college basketball did the opposite of that while repping purple and white. Constantly throughout the season, Jackson had good looks from beyond the arc but was unable to take advantage of the opportunities.
The only consistent part of Jackson’s game was his ability to drive to the basket. His go-to floating jumper helped him immensely in recording a 44.2% clip for the year.
Defense
Jackson’s defense was below average, to say the least. The rookie recorded a defensive rating of 114.8 which was ranked last amongst his current teammates. For Jackson to improve on the defensive end, he needs to be a smarter and more active defender. Although he has good length for his position, Jackson cannot solely rely on his athleticism to have success on defense. He is going to need to rely on his motor and intellect in order to succeed.
Final Thoughts
Jackson’s rookie season was tough. Although the former North Carolina Tar Heel got better as the year went on, he still needs to vastly improve in all aspects of his game.
In my opinion, two goals Jackson needs to have this summer are enhancing his three-point shooting and defense. Like I mentioned above, Jackson had a lot of good looks from the perimeter. So if he is able to get those makable shots in, it will help the Kings’ offense greatly.
On the defensive side, if Jackson is able to develop into a better defender it will make him at the very least a role player in the Kings’ rotation. The Kings struggled mightily on defense last season, so if Jackson can become a guy who improves Sacramento’s defense, Dave Joerger will give him more playing time.
Overall, I do not see Jackson becoming a star for the Kings or even a starter. But I do think he has the capability to become a solid backup player for Sacramento going forth. If he is able to improve his game, especially his perimeter shooting and defense, it would be a huge step forward in his development process.