Duke point guard Frank Jackson got lost a bit in the shuffle of Duke’s crowded backcourt. He clearly has the scoring ability and athleticism to grow.
Playing for the Duke Blue Devils can get a little crowded.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski seemingly has his pick of college prospects and comes into every year with a loaded roster of potential NBA studs scouts are itching to see. Unlike other coaches, Krzyzewski also is able to hold some talented upperclassmen. That made it difficult to fit freshman players like Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Frank Jackson.
Tatum eventually found his footing and became one of Duke’s best players. His play has him slated to go in the top 10 at the very least and the top three at the very best.
Giles never quite found his footing. He was still recovering from an injury and struggled to get his footing after coming in as the nation’s top recruit.
Guard Frank Jackson was somewhere in the middle.
He showed plenty of signs of becoming a strong player. But he also got lost in the crowd with Tatum, Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen and Amile Jefferson in the lineup. Jackson became the fifth man in the lineup.
That obviously hurt his numbers — 10.9 points per game and 1.7 assists per game — but he still found a way to make an impact. He had his moments and raised plenty of intrigue for the NBA Draft.
Jackson is a dynamic athlete with good length at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. He can work his way to the basket and score above the basket. There is plenty of raw talent to work with.
But Jackson is far from perfect. He is not the great 3-point shooter a team would like for a shooting guard — 39.2 percent — and he does not have great size. Without a strong passing game, it is unclear where a team would play him.
And that does not get into the foot injury Jackson suffered shortly after the NBA Draft Combine that has kept him from working out for anyone.
There is a little bit of mystery about him, which explains why he is on the borderline of the first round. But Jackson has plenty to intrigue.
The Good
If a team is putting the ball into Frank Jackson’s hands, he is more than capable of getting to the basket and creating scoring opportunities for himself. Jackson is a really strong driver to the basket.
At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, he has solid size for a point guard. It allows him to be able to finish strong at the rim. But what stands out about him is his speed on the ball. He can blow by opponents easily and get all the way to the basket.
That is where he really shines as he can maneuver around the basket and even finish around the rim. Jackson will put in some thunderous dunks.
That is likely what scouts saw at the NBA Draft Combine where Jackson made the final decision to enter the NBA Draft. He had the third-highest standing vertical leap at the Combine, jumping 34.5 inches. His max vertical leap (a vertical leap with a running start) measured at 42.0 inches, the second highest at the Combine.
Jackson is one of the quietly elite athletes in this Draft. And that has everyone very excited about him and his potential.
Add in his fairly reliable jumper and shot-making and Jackson certainly has a lot going for him from a physical tool and skill perspective.
Jackson works well off the ball as a shooter. He is a decent shooter — making 39.5 percent of his 3-pointers — and has a good sense to spot up and dribble off a close out to the 3-point line. That is something the NBA can always use.
Jackson can put up a lot of points in a number of ways. He has good downhill speed and athleticism to finish at the basket. That seems like all the tools a team would want to draft a player. He has plenty of talent to make him a worthy pick.
The Bad
Frank Jackson has a lot of tools at his disposal, but he still got lost in the shuffle at Duke. Some of that might have to do with the fact he is not a true point guard. Putting the ball in his hands likely means he is trying to create for himself.
Jackson averaged a lowly 1.7 assists per game. He did not drive to create for others. And that raises a lot of questions about his ability to play point guard at the next level. It might have been better for him to stay at Duke and play as the point guard with Luke Kennard gone. Jackson could have taken on a bigger scoring load.
This will be the biggest criticism of Jackson throughout this draft process. And probably the one thing he could have disproven some in workouts as coaches worked out with him and instructed him some. It would have at least helped them learn if he can turn into a point guard.
It might have been better for him to stay at Duke and play as the point guard with Luke Kennard gone. Jackson could have taken on a bigger scoring load and develop these skills.
Jackson just is not a natural passer. He can aggressively attack the basket and score, but he is not looking to set others up.
It just is not something that seems to come naturally to him.
Orlando Magic
And with his meager stats, it is hard to figure out exactly how much he can bring to a team.
Duke did not use him much — he had a 21.1 percent usage rate. That hurt his statistics. His 10.9 points per game are not super impressive. There is something lacking with him on that front.
Perhaps it was him fitting in with his team and his role. Perhaps it was something else.
Then again, Jackson recorded eight of his 20 games with 10 or more points in the first eight games. He tapered off as the season went on. He could not sustain his fast start.
There is just a big question of what Jackson can do when he does not have the ball in his hands. And then especially when he is not trying to score.
And Jackson does not have good defense to fall back on.
Part of his problems at Duke came from his poor defense. He had a lowly 0.2 defensive box plus-minus, according to Sports-Reference. Typically many of the top prospects are better than 1.0. Jackson will have to work really hard on the defensive end to make his mark.
At this point, Jackson is an athletic shotmaker but does not have much else to add to his game.
Draft Sites Say
Mike Schmitz & Matt Kamalsky, DraftExpress
"Among the most efficient scorers among freshman in power conference hoops, Duke shooting guard Frank Jackson was a difference maker on the offensive end for stretches this season, putting points on the board in bunches on some nights. The third wheel in a talented Duke backcourt featuring Luke Kennard and Grayson Allen, Jackson nonetheless emerged as a key cog for a Blue Devils team that finished as the nation’s sixth ranked offense accord to KenPom. Averaging 10.9 points per game, Jackson entered the draft process without an agent, but ultimately decided to stay in past the withdrawal deadline after a solid showing in the first game of the 2017 NBA Draft Combine."
Clayton Crowe, NBADraft.net
"Jackson’s ability to score the basketball is one of his biggest strengths … He shot 40% from three point range this season, was a reliable mid-range shooter and was an above average finisher at the rim … One glance at the McDonald’s All-American game dunk contest along with his combine performance will tell you that Jackson is a gifted athlete with a lot of leaping ability. . . . No real defined position at this point in his career … Came to Duke as a PG but is really just more of a scoring guard at this point, and doesn’t have a great handle of the PG position … His 6’3 frame puts him into that dreaded category that no guard wants to be lumped into as he doesn’t have the size to defend NBA SG’s but doesn’t create for others in the way that you would want your PG to do."
Final Word
Frank Jackson’s talent and scoring ability are undeniable. He has a lot of skill that seems like it is waiting to burst out. The raw talent oozes from him with every drive.
Watching him catch the ball and drive with speed and ferocity is impressive, to say the least. He can burst to the basket and finish above the rim. It is easy to fall in love with his highlights. Give him the ball a little more, would he be able to do that more often at Duke?
That is the bigger question. The talent and intangibles are all there. He measured out well at the Combine and surely impressed. It does not seem like anyone is concerned with his ability to compete athletically in the NBA.
Jackson will have to fill in the other aspects of his game. Because everything outside driving and scoring is severely lacking.
At 6-foot-3, he will not have the size to play shooting guard very often, despite a decent 3-point shot. And he does not have a lot of point guard skills yet. He is not much of a passer on his drives.
Add that to his inconsistent defense and it is hard to see what Jackson brings to the table outside that scoring ability. There are a lot of knocks against Jackson. He could have ironed out a lot of these drawbacks if he had gone back to school in all likelihood.
Jackson impressed a lot at the Combine and started quickly rising draft boards into the first round. Foot surgery has knocked him a bit off the radar. But he will end up somewhere in the late first round or early second round. Right in the Orlando Magic’s wheelhouse.
Next: 2017 Orlando Magic Draft Preview: Who is Mathias Lessort?
Jackson will be a player the team has to consider at the end of the day. With his scoring ability, it will warrant a very close look. Even without a formal workout.