A Close Look in at Josh Jackson - A Jayhawk by Trade, Soon to be a NBA Superstar by Fate
In baseball, people always talk about positional players that are "five-tool" players - special baseball players who have the ability to do everything. In the college basketball season of 2016-2017 and into the NBA, it is time to talk about the "infinite-tool" player known as Josh Jackson. This most recent college basketball season has been filled with talk about Lonzo Ball and everything he can do on the court. When it comes down to it, Jackson possesses more skills and tools to success in basketball than Mr. Ball. On June 22, 2017, it is expected that Ball gets drafted before Jackson. I understand that NBA executives like to draft for positions of necessity but passing on a player like Josh Jackson is strongly inadvisable.
No one is calling this kid the next Lebron James or anything like that but he has unworldly talent. If you want to compare him to anyone in the NBA, the suitable comparison is Kevin Durant. Durant is a pretty good basketball player, right? Jackson can handle the orange ball, he can rebound with the best of them, and he can elevate over anyone.
Offensively, he was a monster in college. There were only three games out of the 36 that his team played in which he did not score in double figures. While averaging 30.8 minutes per game, Jackson averaged 16.3 points per game on 51.3% shooting from the field and 37.8% shooting from the three-point line. His only "weakness" offensively is his accuracy at the free throw line. In addition, he added 3 assists per game after all of the time that he spent bringing the ball up the court. Defensively, he averaged 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game. The majority of his steals and blocks seemed to always occur at a timely stage in the game. By and large, Jackson can be a valuable piece of any NBA team because he plays hard on both ends of the basketball court.
Another aspect of Jackson's college career that he has not been given enough credit for, is his decision to commit to Kansas as opposed to joining his good friend, Miles Bridges, over at Michigan State. Ironically, Jackson and the Jayhawks eliminated the Michigan State Spartans at the 2017 NCAA tournament. Even when his team was eliminated in the Elite 8 of the 2017 NCAA tournament, he contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists.
As of today, Josh Jackson is practically guaranteed to be a top-three selection in the 2017 NBA Draft. Between the Boston Celtics, the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Lakers (the three teams projected to pick at the top of the 2017 NBA Draft), one team will have a forward to build their franchise around.
Passing on an uber-talented basketball player like Josh Jackson based on his off the court controversies will be a mistake that NBA executives do not want to make.
