Pro comparison
Similar to Serge Ibaka
NBA projection
Starter
Measurements
6’10” 227 lbs 7’4″ wingspan 18 years old
| Season | School | Conference | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | SOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 35 | 34 | 21.8 | 3.4 | 6.6 | .513 | 2.3 | 3.9 | .596 | 1.1 | 2.7 | .396 | 3.0 | 3.8 | .797 | 1.5 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 10.9 | 7.10 |
| Career | Michigan State | — | 35 | 34 | 21.8 | 3.4 | 6.6 | .513 | 2.3 | 3.9 | .596 | 1.1 | 2.7 | .396 | 3.0 | 3.8 | .797 | 1.5 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 10.9 | 7.10 |
Strengths
- Size/Length
- Athleticism (solid)
- Defense (good versatility)
- Shooting
- Creating ability (fairly coordinated)
- Rebounding (solid)
- Age/Upside
- Motor
- BBIQ/Character
Weaknesses
- Foul rate (6 fouls per 40 mins)
- Turnovers
- Offensive polish (adding shot diversity)
- Explosiveness (average)
- Shot mechanics (awkward/slow)
Write Up
Jaren Jackson is an extremely interesting prospect who dramatically boosted his stock throughout the season due to his overall solid play and how he projects to the NBA. He has a good combination of size, strength, and length as he’s listed at 6’10” and 227 lbs with a 7’4″ wingspan. He has a strong/balanced frame for his age (18 years old) and projects to pack on muscle with NBA training. He is a solid athlete in the sense that he can run the floor, elevate in space, and take advantage of slower-footed opponents with his quick 1st step. Jackson made most of his noise this season on the defensive end, he showed great defensive instincts/versatility as he was able to protect the rim (averaged 3.0 blocks per game), cover larger PF/C’s, and switch onto smaller guards on the perimeter. He has quick hands and feet and does a great job staying under control and playing angles. Offensively, Jackson’s strongest trait is his ability to stretch the floor as he shot ~40% on 2.7 attempts from 3pt territory this season, however, he also showed some nice moves attacking close-outs and in the post. Jackson is considered one of the more “safe” picks in the draft for good reason, his skill set fits the modern NBA, he plays hard, and he has considerable upside due to his age.
With all that being said, there are still many areas where Jackson is limited or needs to improve. His most glaring weakness is his foul rate, he averaged 3.2 fouls per game and ~6 fouls per 40 mins. He is perhaps the best overall defender in this class, but tends to unnecessarily bite on fakes or gamble on plays. NBA coaches and players will key into this and try and bait him into committing silly fouls to get him off the court. Offensively, Jackson still has some things to polish up in terms of expanding his shot diversity and improving his overall efficiency. Like many young prospects, Jackson tends to settle/force shots and can get himself in trouble by trying to do too much which results in turnovers. Jackson is in the 90th percentile or above on post-ups and 3pt shooting according to Synergy, but struggles with mid-range shots. According to today’s NBA this might not seem like much of a weakness, but it’s still important to be able to shoot from a variety of places on the court. Refining his shot mechanics is the first step to helping him improve as an overall shooter, as it is a slower release and more of a push shot which requires time/space to get it off adequately. Lastly, Jackson is a solid athlete, but lacks elite level quickness and explosiveness. He isn’t the fastest player off the bounce and struggles to elevate in traffic, both of which may limit his creating/finishing ability in the NBA. Overall, Jackson is a high level prospect who has a modern skill set and a good amount of upside.