Meet Justin Jackson with Lamar Johnson of Testudo Times

The Orlando Magic made a surprising pick in the second round, taking Justin Jackson from Maryland. What does he bring? We asked Testudo Times to answer.

The Orlando Magic put a clear emphasis on length and athleticism in their three draft picks last week.

Mohamed Bamba recorded the longest wingspan in NBA Draft Combine history at 7-foot-10 inches. The team’s other two picks are no pushovers either. Melvin Frazier had a 7-foot-1.75 inch wingspan, the second-longest among players listed at guards.

Justin Jackson also put up an impressive wingspan — at 7-foot-3, the fourth-longest among players listed as a forward. The big difference with Jackson is what he did in college entering the NBA.

Unlike fellow second-round pick Melvin Frazier, Justin Jackson did not have a steady improvement. In fact, his sophomore year was largely disappointing, unable to match a freshman year that had him generating some first-round buzz. His return to school was supposed to solidify his skills and set him up for a better NBA future.

Instead, his sophomore year was full of a major injury and a ton of disappointment.

Jackson appeared in only 11 games last year, averaging 9.8 points per game and making just 44.3 percent of his shots and 25.0 percent of his 3-pointers. A shoulder injury knocked him out for the whole season.

There was still some question about how far along he was in his recovery. He said at his introductory press conference he was fully healed. That raised some alarms when he was surprisingly left off the Magic’s initial press release with their Summer League roster. He was quickly added back on.

Jackson was supposed to be a solid shooter and rangy defensive player, using that length and athleticism to his advantage. At this point, it is unclear exactly what he will provide the Magic.

As a second-round pick, Orlando clearly was ready to take a bit of a risk on him and will probably be willing to give him some time to develop. Jackson may be a likely project to develop with the Lakeland Magic for the year. Orlando could always retain his rights as they watch him develop in the G-League.

Jackson is a talented player with first-round talent. The question is what can he bring to the Magic.

To answer that question, I reached out to Lamar Johnson of Testudo Times to get a picture of his time with the Terrapins.

Philip Rossman-Reich, Orlando Magic Daily: When Justin Jackson backed out of the draft last year, what were his expectations? What did you want to see him build on from his freshman year with another year with the Maryland Terrapins?

Lamar Jackson, Testudo Times: There was legitimate belief Jackson could have become a lottery prospect when he decided to return from school. He was a knockdown spot-up shooter his freshman year, and the idea was to build the offense around him heading into the season. He still was the team’s best rebounder and still managed 9.8 points a night, but was clearly not himself.

Rossman-Reich How much did the injury affect Justin Jackson’s play last year? What is the part of his game that we might forget from his freshman year because he played so little last year?

Jackson: The injury was most evident in his shooting. He only shot 25 percent from three, and just 36.8 percent from the field and the shots looked bad. He shot 43.8 percent from beyond the arc his freshman year, playing mostly off-ball. He is not a 44-percent marksman, but that 25 percent should be an aberration if he is healthy.

Rossman-Reich Aside from playing more because of the injury, what more did you want to see from Justin Jackson in his time at Maryland? Was there anything that disappointed you about his play?

Jackson: He displayed flashes of being able to make plays for himself, but he is limited as a ball handler his freshman year, so that puts a cap on his ability to create at the moment. There was hope that he would show off an improved handle, or be able to create more for himself, but he still ended up in mostly post situations with his range limited.

Rossman-Reich: How do you see Justin Jackson playing as a pro? Does his game fit the pro style?

Jackson: Jackson has the potential to play a lot of small ball 4 at the next level. With a 7-foot-3 wingspan, he can guard some of the stronger small forwards, while having enough footwork to guard out to the perimeter on stretch-4s. A lot of his fit depends on how well he shoots the ball.

At best he can stretch the floor with some playmaking ability, grab rebounds and defend multiple positions. At worst, Jackson’s shot never fully returns and he is too slow laterally to keep up with NBA forwards. He will have to carve out a role as an average jump shooter, solid rebounder and above-average defender. His rebounding is the one thing that should keep him around, if all else fails.

Rossman-Reich: What is Jackson’s ultimate legacy at Maryland? How do Terrapins fans feel about his time there?

Jackson: Jackson’s legacy is hard to pin down. He will likely be best remembered for his play in Melo Trimble‘s last season, along with newly-drafted Atlanta Hawks forward Kevin Huerter and rising junior Anthony Cowan Jr. Their 20-2 start to the season will likely stay as the program’s best for a while.

His legacy is also an underwhelming one, almost solely due to the expectations heaped upon his shoulders in the preseason. He was expected to break out. But instead, fans only saw a slightly above-average player with a broken shot. The injury helps explain, but there will always be sects of fans that either think he should have left after his freshman year (he probably should have) or he should have returned for a junior season (he should not have). However, he’ll always have support in College Park.

Next: Orlando Magic name Summer League roster

My thanks to Lamar for answering some of our questions about Justin Jackson. You can follow him on Twitter @im_lamar and check out his work at Testudo Times.