2017 NBA Draft - Brew Hoop Community Draft Board #15: The Elder Statesman, Justin Jackson

Falling at number fifteen is the oldest player picked so far. A player who greatly improved his stock after tasting the draft process last year by expanding his offensive game, showing a switchability on defense and avenging a 2016 loss in the National Championship by leading his team in winning the 2017 National Championship game: Justin Jackson - SF, North Carolina.

Over a year older than any of the players selected before him, the 22 year old Jackson had an impressive junior year garnering the ACC Player of the Year award en route to an outstanding NCAA tournament. At 6’8 with a 6’11 wingspan Jackson has the physical frame to be a force on both ends of the floor, but at a slim 201 pounds he’s unable to reach his full potential without additional mass. He’ll put on some muscle, but as an older prospect there’s less room to grow than with some other players available.

His offensive game showed significant improvements and development in his junior season -- playing more minutes and taking on a greater workload with a 23.9 usage percentage. From the perimeter Jackson’s shooting percentage jumped from 29% on 120 three point attempts to 37% on 280 attempts. His length helps him get his shot off cleanly, and his form and mechanics are fast, clean and smooth. There’s room for improvement, but he put up a solid 55% true shooting percentage while shooting over 150 more shots than the next closest Tar Heel.

In the tournament especially Jackson highlighted a wide array of offensive tools at his disposal. The most significant of which was a floater. Despite a lack of elite speed and athleticism Jackson leveraged his shooting and solid handle to attack closeouts or on a pick and roll to get into the lane. With his smaller size and frame Jackson struggles to attack the rim with force due to underwhelming explosiveness, relying more on his length to snake around for easier buckets. He averaged only 4.0 free throw attempts per 40, pace adjusted. At the pro level he won’t be able to body up against large rim protectors consistently through a full season, his body can’t stand that constant barrage, but the floater was a reliable and effective weapon -- and it probably won’t draw the ire of fans like that of Matthew Dellavedova’s.

Jackson’s feel for the game is evident in off ball situations where he’ll read the defense for open spaces to slice and cut into. He can easily get a shot off no matter where he’s coming from or going toward with a solid gather and smooth shot. Although he can work well in the pick and roll or move in a flowing offense, his playmaking suffers from his lack of quickness and shiftiness. Unable to shake a solid one-on-one defender he ends up moving laterally rather than longitudinally toward the rim.

Within an offense, Jackson can spot up or knock down a pull up jumper while also keeping an offense moving. He’s a smart player who can get the ball where it needs to go and doesn’t make too many stupid plays; he put up a 1.66 assist/turnover ratio alongside one of the best point guards in college last year.

In the tournament Jackson evolved into a switchy defensive cog that unlocked his team's championship-level play with his increased intensity and tenacity. Teams will expect him to guard multiple positions in the NBA. He’s projected as a SF, but he’ll definitely play some small-ball four. I’ve also heard people discuss him playing the SG position, which is a very intriguing idea if you pair him with the Milwaukee Bucks. He needs some more meat to body up with fours consistently, and if he improves his lateral quickness he should be able to stick with most SF while enveloping guards on the perimeter.

As an older player Jackson shows a high basketball IQ while communicating effectively on the defensive end. He would plug into the Bucks defensive system very well. Jackson appears to have a similar build and style to Khris Middleton, although I’m unsure of his postup prowess, and Jackson would be a great backup at the forward positions among the logjam already present. If the Bucks wanted to try him at SG as an experiment, that would be something worth watching for fit; a sort of big-ball lineup with ample length, shiftiness and switchability.

As we approach the hotly anticipated end of the Community Draft Board and the sought after #17 pick in the draft we at Brew Hoop want to thank everyone who has voted thus far. We’ve noticed some complaints in the comments section about difficulties voting in the polls. That seems to be some sort of technical issue, and we hope that it’s fixed for these last couple crucial votes coming up. Additionally, we hope the technical difficulties didn’t affect the outcomes of the polls greatly.

We’ve also read some discussions of the players available to choose, and we’ll expand the field for these final polls. If you have a favorite player that you think deserves to be added to the final poll comment below specifically stating the player you want added. Then we’ll plop him into the coming posts and let the masses decide whether your prospect is delusional or deserving.

The 2017 Brew Hoop Draft Board

1. Markelle Fultz - PG, Washington - DraftExpress Profile
2. Lonzo Ball - PG, UCLA - DraftExpress Profile
3. Josh Jackson - SF, Kansas - DraftExpress Profile
4. De’Aaron Fox - PG, Kentucky - DraftExpress Profile
5. Jayson Tatum - SF, Duke - DraftExpress Profile
6. Malik Monk - SG, Kentucky - DraftExpress Profile
7. Jonathan Isaac - SF/PF, Florida State - DraftExpress Profile
8. Dennis Smith - PG, N.C. State - DraftExpress Profile
9. Frank Ntilikina - PG, Strasbourg - DraftExpress Profile
10. Lauri Markkanen - PF, Arizona - DraftExpress Profile
11. Zach Collins - PF/C, Gonzaga - DraftExpress Profile
12. Donovan Mitchell - G, Louisville - DraftExpress Profile
13. OG Anunoby - SF/PF, Indiana - DraftExpress Profile
14. Luke Kennard - SG, Duke - DraftExpress Profile
15. Justin Jackson - SF, UNC - DraftExpress Profile