North Carolina Basketball: How Justin Jackson will fit with the Sacramento Kings
With the 15th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings selected North Carolina basketball’s Justin Jackson. How will he fit with his new team?
One of the best players on the National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels a season ago, Justin Jackson was taken with the first pick outside of the draft lottery. Playing the small forward position, he fits a big need with the Sacramento Kings as their young roster looks to develop together.
In addition to drafting De’Aaron Fox to be the point guard of the future, the Kings previously traded for shooting guard Buddy Hield and also have big men Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere, and now Harry Giles (another draft pick). Rudy Gay was the team’s previous starting small forward, but after injuring his Achilles tendon, he opted out of his contract to become a free agent.
It seems unlikely that Rudy Gay will be returning to Sacramento, which therefore opens up a hole for Justin Jackson to fill. As an experienced college player, Jackson is already relatively polished on the offensive end and should be able to contribute right away. He has solid size for the NBA and has shown the ability to shoot both in traffic and when open.
Although a confident shooter, Jackson is also a willing facilitator and is not afraid to make a difficult pass if he sees an open man. With De’Aaron Fox running the point, spreading the floor with Buddy Hield and Jackson makes a lot of sense for the future of the Kings.
Jackson is not going to be the flashiest player on the floor, but he is going to make his impact by knocking down open shots and be willing to take the difficult ones. Every team needs a guy who can go get his own bucket either in clutch situations or late in the shot clock. With his ability to shoot under pressure and through defenders, Justin Jackson could be that guy for Sacramento.
With the Kings still working on a future, Jackson will not be forced into a situation where he needs to be excellent right away, but at the very least he should show flashes of being an above-average NBA starter in the future.
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There is definitely a long way to go for the Kings to develop into a Playoff team in the Western Conference, but they are taking the right steps. With Fox, Jackson, and Giles, they have pieces that can make big impacts right away. For Jackson specifically, he will likely be given a chance to start and to develop next to fellow college stars in Fox and Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, who was drafted last year.