After previously announcing they had waived Orlando Magic second-round pick Justin Jackson, the Lakeland Magic announced he would miss the rest of the year.
The Lakeland Magic announced Orlando Magic second-round pick Justin Jackson has suffered a season-ending injury.
Originally the team announced they had waived Justin Jackson but has since deleted the tweet, issuing a new tweet announcing he would miss the rest of the season. Jackson’s future with the main roster is not clear. The Magic retain his draft rights if he ever makes the NBA.
Justin Jackson has suffered a season ending injury.
— Osceola Magic (@OsceolaMagic) January 9, 2019
Jackson (6-7, 225) averaged 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds shooting 34 percent from the field for the Magic, who will retain his rights for two seasons.
Jackson appeared in 10 games, averaging 4.5 points per game and shooting 34.0 percent from the floor. He obviously did not get enough time to find much of a rhythm offensively or display the shooting and athletic touch that made him an interesting prospect even after his rookie year.
It is not clear yet what the injury was for Jackson or if it was related to the shoulder that caused him to miss much of his sophomore year and Summer League.
When the Magic acquired Jackson as the 43rd overall pick in the Draft, they were bringing in someone they knew had the potential to develop into a strong shooting wing but had a history of injuries.
He missed most of his sophomore year with the Maryland Terrapins with a shoulder issue. This came after Jackson averaged 10.5 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game while making 43.8 percent of his shots from beyond the arc as a freshman. Jackson got some brief first round and Lottery buzz before deciding to return to school.
That is when his injury hit that kept him out for all but 11 games last season in College Park.
When the Magic introduced him in the summer, president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said they believed the shoulder issues were behind him and he was progressing well.
But during Summer League in July, Jackson was left off the roster, then added onto the roster but never played. It was pretty evident the team would use him as a domestic “draft and stash” having him play the season out with Lakeland before bringing him back into the fold with the main roster. By having him not participate in the team’s training camp, Jackson has not yet entered the NBA and so the Orlando Magic retain his draft rights.
This decision to cut him from the Lakeland Magic does not preclude him from returning to the team. And it does not mean he may not one day play for the Orlando Magic. But it is a bit puzzling. The Orlando Magic have a lot of control over basketball operations personnel with the Lakeland Magic as an affiliate team.
Certainly, it would make sense for the Magic would prefer Jackson rehab within their system and at their facilities.
For the Lakeland Magic it also makes sense to free up the roster spot. There are few roster spots allowed in the G-League, and using it on a player who is out for the year is not going to be productive for that team. Even if this particular player has interest from the Orlando Magic.
For now, Jackson’s season is over. It is unclear what his future with the Magic will be. The hope has to be that he will be healthy and ready to go for another look at Summer League. From there, the team can determine how to use him.
This story has been updated to reflect new information.