Los Angeles Lakers land their dream prospect in 2017 NBA Mock Draft
By Nick Ziegler
The Suns were losers in the NBA Draft Lottery. They finished the season with the second-worst record but were jumped in the lottery by the Lakers and Kings, who relayed their selection over to the 76ers. Dropping in the lottery has proven to not actually hurt the Suns, who still land their guy in Josh Jackson with the fourth pick.
Out of all the teams selecting near the top of the lottery, the Suns need backcourt help the least. They are set in the backcourt with Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker, with Tyler Ulis and Brandon Knight coming off the bench. Jackson will now give them a building block on the wing.
Jackson is a great fit for the Suns. He should challenge T.J. Warren for minutes right away based on his defense alone. Jackson has the potential to defend multiple positions given his excellent athleticism.
He played a lot of power forward at Kansas, so he has experience defending bigger opponents. Minutes at shooting guard shouldn’t be out of the question either, especially if he can find some consistency with his jump shot.
Even as he works on his jump shot, Jackson should still find some success offensively. He has a high basketball IQ, which helps make him an above average slasher. He relentlessly attacks the basket but has to find his flow. Becoming more assertive offensively wouldn’t hurt Jackson as he disappeared at times.
There are some off-court issues, as Jackson will have to attend an anger management course for an incident at Kansas. On the court, there is not much to dislike with Jackson. The Suns will love having him.