The NBA Draft is on Thursday and that means just enough time for one more prospect watch. This week features NCAA champion and ultimate glue guy, Andre Jackson Jr. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing does a little bit of everything and “intangibles” is the word that always gets tossed around with the junior.
Jackson’s shooting splits aren’t super great, but he does so many other great things on the court that make him a valuable player. The spot he falls in the draft will also give him some inherent value. If he falls to 33 or 44, he would likely be an absolute steal and could be a guy who can step in right away and play some minutes for the Spurs. Here are his stats from last season with the Huskies.
- 6.7 PPG, 0.5 BPG, 1.1 SPG, 4.7 APG, 6.2 RPG
- 43.2 FG%, 28.1 3P%, 64.6 FT%
- 15.0 PER, 112.8 ORtg, 94.3 DRtg
Andre Jackson Breakdown
Jackson is an excellent athlete and a smart player. His basketball IQ and knowing he can gamble a bit on defense has led to his steal numbers being so good and how he gets a good amount of transition buckets. He is just in the right place at the right time when it comes to rebounding and just makes opponents’ lives miserable when he’s playing defense. He’s an excellent on-ball and off-ball defender, which would certainly help a Spurs team that did not finish the season playing its best defense.
There is a clear hitch in Jackson’s shot and that will require some fixing for him to become a consistent shooter and offensive threat outside of his cutting. He does play off the ball well and found himself open under the rim often thanks to Adama Sanogo attracting so much attention. With another big or teammate who commands that kind of attention, Jackson can absolutely continue cutting and getting easy baskets to keep the defense honest.
Ball handling in the half court is not a strength for the former Husky, but he is solid out in transition and is always looking to whip the ball to a teammate. He has made some razzle-dazzle passes that definitely catch the eye and have people thinking he could be a nice off-ball guard that help an offense move a bit when the starting point guard is off the floor. You can expect Jackson anywhere in the 25-45 range in this draft so the Spurs should have a shot at him if they keep their 33rd and 44th picks on Thursday night.
