Maryland Basketball: Sophomores will lead Terrapins to NCAA Tournament

Justin Jackson PF

Justin Jackson is Maryland’s best player and will replace Melo Trimble as the face of the program. Jackson is a 6’7 PF who averaged 10.5ppg and 6.0rpg last season. 6’7 may seem small for a PF, but Jackson has an incredible 7’3 wingspan to make up for his lack of positional size.

Three-point shooting is Jackson’s specialty. He made 46 three pointers at a 43.8% clip which is extremely impressive for any player, but even more so for a freshman. Jackson excels in the pick and pop where his shooting ability creates some much-needed floor spacing in the Maryland offense. The defense must respect Jackson’s jump shot on the pop which opens driving lanes for the ball handler.

Jackson is more than just a shooter which makes him such an intriguing prospect. He can attack closeouts to finish at the rim when defenders overplay his jump shot and he possesses the quickness to beat bigger defenders off the dribble at the high post.

The talented sophomore earned some NBA draft buzz towards the end of the season and was one of the 67 players invited to the combine. Jackson played well at the combine and probably would have been a second-round pick, but he decided to return to school.

Jackson will be recognized as one of the top players in the Big Ten conference. He should average around 16ppg and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his strong three-point percentage with an increase in attempts. In terms of NBA draft stock, Jackson looks like a late first round pick, but could obviously climb draft boards with a breakout season.

If Jackson can take the predicted step forward, then Maryland will be in great shape for another tournament appearance.