Who is Josh Jackson?
Josh Jackson is a 6-foot-8, 207 pound, 19-year-old freshman phenom at the University of Kansas and is a candidate for the Wooden Award. Coming out of high school, he was highly coveted by colleges across the nation. He is most likely going to call his freshman year at Kansas it and head to the NBA.
At Kansas, Josh Jackson has been a star. It should be considered an achievement that Jackson is getting consistent playing time as a freshman under Bill Self. Recent one and done prospects such as Kelly Oubre, Cliff Alexander and Cheick Diallo, struggled to find consistent minutes in their lone season at Kansas.
He has put up averages of 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. Jackson has also led his team to its 13th straight Big 12 championship. Additionally, they are viewed by some as favorites to win the title.
Not only does Jackson fill up the box score, but he does other things that numbers don’t account for. He is uber athletic and that is not an exaggeration. His athleticism allows him to make plays that other players can’t. He has demonstrated it time and time again by his emphatic put-back dunks, his ability to rise in traffic and grab highly contested rebounds and his capacity to finish soaring alley-oops.
On Defense
Josh Jackson is becoming a better defender. The more playing time Jackson gets allows him to correct mistakes and become and get more coaching on proper positioning and awareness. His athleticism is also a big advantage on the defensive side of the ball. It allows him to accumulate steals and blocks at a high pace. Jackson has had some big nights on the defensive side of the ball. On February 18 he had four blocks against an elite team in Baylor and on February 13 he had five steals against another elite team in West Virginia.
On Offense
Offensively, Josh Jackson does many things. 16.5 points per game may not jump off the screen, but how and why he gets those points are key to his NBA success. He is on a team that has many juniors and seniors including fellow Wooden Award candidate, Frank Mason III. This means that often times Jackson is the second or third option purely because of circumstance.
Even though he is not alway the primary option, Jackson will get his. His aggressiveness is his most valuable offensive skill. He attacks the rim hard whenever he drives and is constantly looking for the offensive rebound, where he gets 2.3 per game. Jackson’s size opens up repertoire as he is able to expose mismatches on offense with post up game and an ability to draw fouls, where he gets to the line 5.4 times per game.
Even though he is projected as a wing, Jackson comes with a valuable playmaking ability. With his 3.1 assists per game, he makes his teammates better every time he steps onto the court. This originates from his great handles, unselfishness and his readiness because he always has his head up when he dribbles.
Jackson will have the occasionally game where he explodes offensively. He has put up 20 or more in a game eight times this year. His best game came against Texas Tech, in which he had 31 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. His full repertoire was on display.
But Jackson’s offense does have its flaws. He is not a great shooter. He does hit 1.0 threes per game at a 37.8% clip, but that can be deceiving. Since he can hit college threes, he’ll be a good NBA midrange shooter, maybe. He only shoots 57.1% from the free throw line, which can often be a more reliable test for NBA shooting than the college three point line. His shot isn’t the prettiest. He has a relatively low release point and doesn’t get his shot off super quickly, which, in the NBA, will make it harder to get his shot off and it would get blocked more.
What can Jackson do for the Lakers?
Josh Jackson would be a fine addition for the Lakers. He fits in well with the current timeline of the team and the young core. In terms of potential has a high ceiling and a low floor, with his athletic ability and the production he’s shown in college. He can solidify strengths that the Lakers already have on the team and provide possible solutions for the weaknesses of the current Laker team.
Fixing the flaws of the Lakers should be their number one issue in the draft, and Jackson solves more than one deficiency of the team. He will be able to provide a defensive uplift after the lackluster output we’ve seen form the Lakers over the last few years. Jackson would also provide help on the glass, as the Lakers are in the bottom half of the league in terms of rebounds per game.
Athleticism would be the primary strength Jackson could reinforce on the team. While the Lakers as a whole are not the most athletic group, a large portion of the young core is. Clarkson, Ingram, Randle and especially Nance are quite an athletic troop. Adding Jackson to that band would be an exciting product to watch.
What Jackson can’t do for the Lakers?
While there is a lot of could that Jackson could do on the Lakers, that does not allow us to dismiss any unfavorable aspect he would contribute to the team.
Starting off with basic fit, Jackson plays the same position as Ingram. While a plan could be devised to play them together, it might take a while. Jackson could certainly play the two, but I think that he would best be utilized as a small forward.
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Jackson also is not a proficient shooter which is something the Lakers need. With Russell not currently being a knockdown shooter and Ingram showing quite a bit of struggle, shooting is in high demand. It is possible that Jackson could replicate his college three-point success in NBA, or over time learn how to shoot better, but it would be an issue that management would have to take a long look at.
With all things considered, I think that Jackson would be a great addition to the team. He has strengths that would help the Lakers immediately. His overwhelming potential would be hard to pass up. And his weakness as a player and as a fit on the team could be overcome with time.
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What do you think? Do you think that Josh Jackson would be a good fit on the team? Let us know in the comments below!