Los Angeles Lakers: 4 reasons to select Josh Jackson No. 2 overall

2 of 5

Mar 23, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Purdue Boilermakers forward Caleb Swanigan (50) goes up for a shot as Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) defends during the second half in the semifinals of the midwest Regional of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Defense

The best quality that Jackson would bring right off the bat is his defense. Jackson has excellent size for a wing player, standing 6-feet-8 inches and weighing 202 pounds. At that size, he should be able to handle most assignments on the wing. Once he adds some more strength and size, he will be a real difference maker on that end of the court.

The competitive nature that Jackson plays with, combined with his elite athleticism, make him the prototypical wing defender. He has the capabilities to stay in front of players on the perimeter, but has also the ability to defend inside as well; he played a lot of power forward for the Jayhawks.

Jackson also put up defensive stats when at Kansas. He is a tough on-ball defender and played the passing lanes well, averaging 1.7 steals per game. Jackson can also defend the rim a little bit, as he averaged 1.1 blocks per game.

The Lakers were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA this season. They surrendered 111.5 points per game, allowing teams to shoot a league-worst 48.3 percent from the field, and 37 percent from deep. Jackson would immediately improve those numbers.

Home/Lakers Draft