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Oklahoma City Thunder select Justin Jackson in Chad Ford’s latest NBA Mock Draft

By Kenneth Teape

Feb 22, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) reacts in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Cardinals 74-63 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 22, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) reacts in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Cardinals 74-63 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oklahoma City Thunder selected UNC small forward Justin Jackson with the 21st pick in Chad Ford’s latest NBA Mock Draft.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have an important offseason ahead of them. They have a bonafide star in point guard Russell Westbrook, which is a good start. After that, things get a bit cloudy. If the Thunder want to be threats come playoff time, they need to upgrade the roster.

The needs for the Thunder are pretty clear this offseason. They could use another scorer, specifically off the bench, to help take the scoring load off Westbrook. A backup point guard also wouldn’t hurt; whenever Westbrook was off the court the offense was a disaster.

Another need for the Thunder is some three-point shooting. Spacing the floor is imperative in today’s NBA, especially when you have a player that is as dominant as Westbrook. He can get to the rim whenever he wants. Surrounding him with shooters would help improve the offense as his penetration leads to open jump shots.

The Thunder will be hard-pressed to address those needs in free agency. Oklahoma City is already knocking on $113 million in contracts for the 2017-18 season, and that is without free agents Andre Roberson, Taj Gibson and Nick Collison.

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Collison will probably be a cap casualty unless he re-signs for the veteran’s minimum. Roberson and Gibson will not be cheap to retain but were key parts of the Thunder’s rotation.

With free agency looking to be an unrealistic option for the Thunder, the NBA Draft provides them with an opportunity to infuse some young talent into the roster. The Thunder own the 21st pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Oklahoma City has not had much success selecting at No. 21. They have picked here twice previously, in 2015 and 2010. In 2015 the Thunder selected Mitch McGary out of Michigan. In 2010 they selected Craig Brackins out of Iowa State. Neither player amounted to much, but the 21st selection has provided teams with some excellent players previously.

The Thunder are hoping the third time is the charm with the 21st pick for them. In the latest mock draft from ESPN‘s Chad Ford, the Thunder selected North Carolina small forward, Justin Jackson. Here is what Ford had to say about Jackson, who has been mocked to the Thunder for weeks now.

"“Scouts continue to be all over the place on Jackson as a pro prospect. Much of it depends on whether you think his sudden uptick as a 3-point shooter last season will translate to the NBA.“His lack of great lateral speed or explosiveness is a problem, but the Thunder can use another guy who can stretch the floor, and there just aren’t a lot of other options at this point in the draft. (Mock 5.1)“Jackson has been sitting here at No. 21 for several mocks.“He’s getting looks in the late teens from teams thanks to his shooting and defensive potential, but his lack of elite athleticism and motor lower his ceiling pretty significantly.“He seems like a perfect fit in OKC.”"

Jackson brings a lot to the court that the Thunder could use. As Ford says, he seems to be a perfect fit for the Thunder for a number of reasons.

He could immediately help take scoring pressure off Westbrook. He has deep range on his three-point shot and a matured midrange game. His high basketball IQ shows offensively, as he is a great scorer and rarely takes bad shots.

He would fit in seamlessly with the Thunder offensively. Unfortunately, reports aren’t as glowing defensively. He doesn’t have the greatest motor and isn’t that good of an athlete. Those both limit his effectiveness on the defensive side of the court. Having a motor and being a great athlete is a great combo; having one or the other is good; lacking in both can be a problem.

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But there is no doubt that his shooting would help greatly in Oklahoma City. There are enough defensive minded players on the roster that they should be able to hide Jackson a bit. His shooting would be a valuable asset for a team whose best offense is spreading the court and letting Russell Westbrook go to work.

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