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2018 Orlando Magic NBA Draft Review: Justin Jackson always holds promise

By Philip Rossman-Reich

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Justin Jackson #21 of the Maryland Terrapins handles the ball against the Bucknell Bison at Xfinity Center on November 18, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Justin Jackson #21 of the Maryland Terrapins handles the ball against the Bucknell Bison at Xfinity Center on November 18, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /
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The Bad

So what caused Justin Jackson to slip?

It could not be just the torn labrum that cost him much of his sophomore year. There is still a lot to like.

The reality might be that while there is a lot to like and flashes of what a player like Jackson could do, he just did not do it enough or long enough to impress.

His breakout freshman year still only saw him score 10 points per game and he can disappear a lot. Jackson will float along the perimeter and his patience sometimes makes it where he plays passively and does not get involved. That might be a reason why he eventually slipped down the draft boards.

Even when he was aggressive, it was easy to spot some holes in his game.

Jackson is not especially fast. For all his length and athleticism, he can close gaps defensively well. But he does not have a ton of lateral quickness to be a strong perimeter defender or a great driver.

Jackson projects as a pure role player. And it is easy to pencil him as a 3-and-D guy. If that is the role he can ultimately fill, it is a good one. But everything looks very slow. Even his release is slow. And if he ends up playing more power forward, that could be a problem against bigger opponents.

Consistency is Jackson’s biggest enemy at the moment. And the Magic do not know exactly what kind of production he can provide. Jackson just did not have the chance to expand his game much because of the shoulder injury. A professional “redshirt” year seems like the right path to let him get some playing time, develop and get healthy.

There are a lot of tools Jackson has at his disposal. But he has not been able to put it all together yet. Or had much of a chance to put them all together. So while there are a lot of good things to like about his game potentially, it is hard to say how they all come together. Thus his slide into the Lottery and then into the second round with the injury.