The Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Josh Jackson is on his own level of potential. Kansas had a deep run in the NCAA Tournament that was stopped short in the Elite Eight by Oregon. Their Elite Eight finish doesn't define Josh Jackson, though, as his potential has been high since high school. Prior to the season, Jackson was projected as the number one overall pick. He's dropped a tad, but he's still projected Top 5 and sometimes the top overall in certain mock drafts.
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 207 pounds
College averages: 16.3 ppg, 4.9 apg, 7.4 rpg
Strengths
Josh Jackson is loaded with strengths.
For starters, Jackson comes into the NBA with an incredible athletic ability. He plays high above the rim and can explode to the rim off the dribble. He's got a nice post-game, and good finish when he gets into the paint. His spot-up shooting is effective and enough to be a threat in the league right away. He has an immense amount of competitiveness, wears his emotions on his sleeve, and is a dominant two-way player. He could defend well in college and brings that mentality to defend into the NBA.
Weaknesses
Josh Jackson doesn't have a ton of weaknesses, but some noticeable ones do stick out. While he could shoot spot-up last season, he struggled to shoot the ball off the dribble. This is cause for concern in this draft because other guys already shoot better than him like Jayson Tatum.
Jackson's shooting ability also has issues in consistency. Too often he would have games of 20+ points, but then follow it up with a really bad shooting day. Slumps come and go, but this inconsistency may worry some scouts in the league. Jackson played a lot of power forward with Kansas, but at 6'8" and only 207 pounds, that idea for the NBA likely won't cut it.
He'll be mainly just a small forward in the league.
Even with some weaknesses in his shooting, there's a lot to like about this kid. Issues like shooting off the dribble or finishing can be fixed with time, but what can't be fixed is a player's attitude. Josh Jackson brings the perfect mentality to any team wanting to build a successful culture.
Jackson is going to give everything he has to the team he's on, and he is so emotional and competitive that it's almost to a fault.
Teams that would be a good match for Jackson are the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and the Philadelphia 76ers. As of right now, Jackson can fit with any of these teams and will be able to be plugged in and play right away. He has the talent to be a major contributing player to any of these teams.
