Josh Jackson presents one of the most versatile and smart basketball players in the draft. The only question is whether he can shoot it with the best.
The league’s age restrictions for Draft entry are back on the forefront for commissioner Adam Silver.
At his Finals press conference, he brought up the league had a few discussions about changing the league’s rule preventing American high school seniors from jumping straight to the NBA. At the time the league instituted this rule, it was done to protect owners from themselves largely. There was something unseemly about guaranteeing millions of dollars to 18 years olds who had (mostly) never ben on their own.
The risk was greater than the reward for the most part. But no team was going to keep themselves from passing on talent.
A year of play at the NCAA level would, at least, give them the time to season. Or, at the very least, give NBA executives and evaluators a chance to cover the bases.
But there are players who are clearly beyond their years. There are players who have superstar written all over them and are can’t-miss prospects. There are also players who just look NBA ready right out of high school — or after one year of college — and still have lots of room to improve.
This is where Kansas Jayhawks forward Josh Jackson falls.
Jackson has a lot of room to grow and a lot of flaws to his game. But his basketball sense and IQ are far beyond his years. Jackson will find a way to contribute as he continues to improve his skills.
And in college, he even showed he can improve on some of his weaknesses.
This is all part of the equation that makes Jackson such a promising player. It goes beyond his averages — 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on 51.3 percent shooting. He has great length and was a solid defender. He did all this without a reliable 3-point shot.
The Jayhawks had a stacked roster that had them as one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. Jackson played a role that enabled him to shine, with veteran leaders filling in the other gaps. That helped Jackson show off perhaps the most promising part of his game, his basketball IQ.
Jackson has a long way to go to grow into the star he could become. But his freshman year suggests he has a strong base to begin from as he enters the NBA Draft.