2017 NBA Draft: 5 best fits for North Carolina’s Justin Jackson
By Michael Foy
North Carolina’s Justin Jackson had a fantastic junior season, but how will that translate to the NBA? A look at the best landing spots for the Chapel Hill product
North Carolina’s Justin Jackson recently declared for the NBA draft and hired an agent, bringing his career in the Carolina blue to an end.
The move was smart, as Justin Jackson has seen his stock rise more than any other player in the country. He has gone from a second round pick at best to a mid first rounder in all mock drafts.
This past season Jackson made enormous leaps in his game, going from averaging 11.5 points and shooting just 29.7 percent from beyond the arc as a sophomore to scoring 18.3 points per game, and setting a University of North Carolina single-season record with 105 made threes.
All of that improvement led Jackson to be named ACC Player of the Year and an All-American. Jackson was UNC’s go-to player offensively as well as the team’s best lock down defender.
Jackson seemed to always make the big shot when the Heels needed one while locking down some of the opposing team’s best players. In the NCAA Tournament alone he held Kentucky’s Malik Monk and Oregon’s Tyler Dorsey to a combined 7-21 shooting.
All of these improvements caught the eyes of many scouts, and Jackson seems to be a virtual lock for the top half of the draft. Where he will land is uncertain, but by now it is obvious that he is a first round talent.
There are a few teams that are looking hard at Jackson, and some teams are better fits than others. Here is a look at the five best landing spots for Justin Jackson.