Holding the second overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings have a lot of choices among the draft’s top prospects. While Sacramento seems set on selecting either Mizzou’s Michael Porter Jr. or Duke’s Marvin Bagley III, the best choice might just be Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr.
In his lone season at Michigan State, Jackson did not put up mind-boggling numbers and certainly was not an offensive superstar. In fact, he was a 10 point per game scorer and a middling rebounder. So why would the Kings consider him at #2?
Why They Should Draft Him
Well, it really boils down to a few things, most notably, his defense.
Defensively, Jackson is arguably the best player in the draft. He has great length, blocked shots at an incredibly high rate (3.0 per game), and was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last season.
From an NBA scout viewpoint, his defensive prowess oozes All-NBA Defensive Team potential, something this Kings team desperately needs. Sacramento graded out as the 26th best defense in the NBA last season, according to teamrankings.com. Currently, the Kings have no in-house solution for fixing their defensive issues and what better way to anchor a defense than with an 18-year old prospect with NBA-ready defense ready to go from day one?
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If Sacramento takes Jackson at #2 or later in the draft should they trade down, it is likely his play would elevate the Kings defense as a whole, as well as add several wins to Sacramento’s bottom line.
Aside from his defense, Jackson has the ability to stretch the floor as well. Last season for the Spartans, he hit three-pointers at a 39.6% clip on 96 attempts. His free-throw percentage also hovered around 80%, in addition to shooting 50% from the field.
Jackson can develop into a very good stretch four, even being able to play the five in smaller lineups. He may not have the offensive potential of Porter or Bagley, but Jackson is certainly no slouch in that regard either. He is an efficient scorer who did well in limited opportunities last year, scoring from all parts of the floor.
Why They Should Avoid Him
The biggest reason for the Kings to fade Jackson on their draft board is quite simply they are more enamored by the likes of Porter and Bagley. Should the Kings strike out in this draft, GM Vlade Divac is likely out of the job.
For this reason, Jackson is likely to watch the #2 come and go without his name being called. He certainly belongs in the mix with MPJ, Bagley and Luka Doncic, but his lack of explosive scoring potential, inconsistency, and foul issues will likely cause the Kings to go in another direction.
Final Thoughts
Jackson could very well end up being the best player to come out of this draft. He could also end up as nothing more than a productive role-player, but that is the risk you take with any prospect. Jackson’s defense could anchor the Kings for the next decade, but Doncic, Bagley or MPJ could anchor a playoff contender in Sacramento for years to come.
The Kings front office will likely swing for the fences in upside with their jobs potentially on the line. This likely means the selection of MPJ, Bagley or even DeAndre Ayton will happen.
Jaren Jackson Jr. might not end up in Sacramento, but he should. Jackson is, aside from Doncic, the most NBA-ready prospect in this draft, in my opinion. His defensive play could elevate this team to levels it has not seen in well over a decade. And his offense could take a backseat to the likes of De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic for his first few seasons while his game develops.
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He fits Sacramento’s timeline, he checks all the boxes you want in a top draft pick and brings a league-ready game to the table from day one. What more could you ask for?