ID CARD: 6-foot-8¼ small forward, North Carolina, junior, 22 years old
DRAFT RANGE: Ranked 13th by DraftExpress.com; 25th by ESPN.com; fourth among shooting guards by NBA.com
SCOUTS LOVE: Jackson broke out as a North Carolina junior after two seasons of deferring to more established players on typically loaded rosters in Chapel Hill. His scoring average jumped to 18.3 after seasons of 10.7 and 12.2 and his shot attempts went from 10.4 as a sophomore to 14.9 as a junior. Jackson also saw a dramatic leap in his 3-point attempts (120 to 284) and accuracy (.292 to .370). That type of shooting range and marksmanship, coupled with Jackson’s unique array of shots on the move and floaters, give him a chance to be a coveted complementary scorer in the NBA. He was a high school contemporary of Justise Winslow in the greater Houston area and ranked the 11th best recruit in the high school class of 2014.
SCOUTS WONDER: Jackson’s frame is the biggest red flag, weighing in at just 201 pounds at the NBA draft combine last month in Chicago. That’s why NBA.com has him listed as a shooting guard on the assumption that he’ll be better suited to defending the slighter players at that spot than bigger small forwards. That could be equally challenging for him, though, and calls into question his lateral quickness and ability to chase around screens. The fact he’s 22 after three years in one of college basketball’s marquee programs and has barely cracked 200 pounds naturally leads to concern over how much additional weight and strength he’ll be able to add.
NUMBER TO NOTE: 2.8 – Jackson’s assists per game, a solid number for a primary scorer who’s not a point guard and indicates Jackson’s vision and passing ability. Put together with his scoring potential, Jackson has a chance – depending on the team that drafts him – to be more ready than most rookies to contribute early.
MONEY QUOTE: “I think it was really important. That’s the feedback I got last year. You’ve got to shoot the ball more consistently to be able to play at this level. I took that extremely serious and last year was kind of just a translation of all the work I put in in the off-season. I’ve tried to keep that going as time has gone on. I’m going to continue to try to do that and continue to try to get better every day.” Jackson at the NBA draft combine on May 11 on the importance of improving his 3-point shooting as a college junior
PISTONS FIT: The Pistons are looking to punch up their offense, in particular their 3-point shooting. Rookies rarely come to the league able to shoot at or above the NBA average 3-point mark. The ones who do generally fit Jackson’s profile: players who spent more than a single season in college. His ability to hit floaters and pass make Jackson more than a one-dimensional offensive threat. He’d face a loaded depth chart at small forward (Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris, Stanley Johnson) or shooting guard (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Johnson) with the Pistons, perhaps knocking him down a peg or two on their draft board.
BOTTOM LINE: Is Jackson a lankier Rip Hamilton or a shorter Austin Daye? Chances are he’ll wind up with a career somewhere in the middle of their far-removed resumes. But if the evaluation of Stan Van Gundy’s scouting staff puts him clearly closer to the Hamilton end of the spectrum, that would represent outstanding value with the 12th pick. Even if the roster argues against Jackson’s fit, he would deserve careful consideration if the Pistons determine his scoring and all-around offensive potential rank near the top of the draft class.