Philadelphia 76ers: 5 options for pick No. 3 in 2017 NBA Draft
By Max Holm
1. Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas
Josh Jackson is arguably the second-best prospect in this draft class behind Markelle Fultz. He is a true wing who can guard positions 1-4 and has the potential to be one of the league’s best playmaking forwards.
Despite playing the majority of his minutes at power forward, Jackson somehow assisted on 18 percent of his teams baskets when he was on the floor — and that was while largely playing with two point guards. Just imagine the ball movement between him, Ben Simmons and Dario Saric.
He’s also a terror cutting off the ball and wreaks havoc on the offensive glass. Jackson is a bulldog in every sense of the word, in a good way. He wants to destroy people when he gets on the court. That’s an attitude that Philadelphia would fall in love with. Adding him to Joel Embiid, Robert Covington and Simmons would make for one of the nastiest defenses in the NBA.
Now, the reason why Jackson isn’t a foregone conclusion at No. 3 is because of his jump shot. His stats say he shot it like a sniper to end the year, but his mechanics aren’t great. We’ve seen unorthodox shooters prove us wrong, but those players, like Kevin Martin, shot in the 40s in college. The Sixers could find themselves in all types of spacing from hell if Jackson can’t knock down the three.
That being said, even if Philly doesn’t trust his jumper, he’s still worthy of the selection here. Even without a jumper, Jackson can still be a world class role player similar to Andre Iguodala. Jackson will bring intensity, great passing and superb defense. If that’s the case, his worst-case scenario might be a sixth man who runs the show when Simmons comes out. The two could even coexist down the road for small stretches.
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If Jackson can figure out his jump shot, though, look out. He is reportedly a gym rat, so there’s no telling what he could accomplish if he sets his mind to improving as a shooter. If Jackson adds that jumper, he’d exceed the Iguodala comp and become an All-Star two-way wing.