Phoenix Suns: 5 goals for Josh Jackson’s rookie season

As the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Josh Jackson seems to have a bright future. Here are five goals he should have for his first season with the Phoenix Suns.

Despite the swirl of trade rumors leading up to draft night (and even into August regarding Kyrie Irving), the Phoenix Suns were ecstatic when Josh Jackson fell to them as the No. 4 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

It’s no surprise to hear Arizona Sports 98.7‘s John Gambadoro and ESPN‘s Ramona Shelburne confirm that the Suns will not include Jackson in an offseason trade leading up to his rookie year, which seems to be the smartest call given the potential of the former Kansas Jayhawk.

In his lone season under Bill Self, the fiery Jackson averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three-point range.

From his playmaking on the wing to his stout defense to his competitive fire, Josh Jackson falling to No. 4 was the best-case scenario for the Suns, who need a surefire prospect at the 3 for their rebuild given T.J. Warren‘s unsteady start to his career.

After watching Jackson put up 17.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game during NBA Summer League, it’s clear his potential is sky-high, with some going as far as predicting his ceiling to be the highest among any player in this year’s talented draft class.

While that remains to be seen, step one is getting acclimated to the NBA level in his first professional season. Bearing this in mind, here’s a look at five reasonable goals for Josh Jackson to focus on during his rookie year with the Phoenix Suns.

5. Embrace defensive challenges

The reason Jackson is such a perfect fit for the Suns on paper is the defensive skill-set he brings to the table. Though Jackson said anyone can be a good defender with the right effort and intensity, his 6’8″ frame, quick footwork and nearly 6’10” wingspan certainly don’t hurt.

Not only did Jackson rack up more than one steal and one block per game in both college and Summer League play, but he also has the length and speed to guard multiple positions, especially as he fills out and gets stronger.

The fact that he cares so much about the defensive end makes him a welcome addition to a young Suns roster that, as of right now, can only project Dragan Bender as a plus-defender in the future.

At only 20 years old, Jackson will struggle to defend power forwards or bigger and stronger small forwards, but as he puts on muscle and adapts to the next level, his ability to cover for Devin Booker on the perimeter and switch onto guards and forwards alike will be a boon to Phoenix’s defense.

"“You just got to come out and try and not be afraid of anybody, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do when I come in and start playing for Phoenix,” Jackson said. “I know I’m going to have to guard some pretty good wings. I’ll be matched up against Paul George, maybe Kevin Durant, LeBron James. Those are some of the best players in the world, but I won’t be scared by any means at all. I’ll come in and accept the challenge and I’ll give it the best I can.”"

Jackson’s main flaw — shooting — is well documented by now, but that’s a long-term project. Entering his rookie season, defensive prowess and intensity should be his calling card before building on the other areas of his game.

4. Shoot 33 percent from three-point range

Defense needs to be Jackson’s bread and butter as a rookie, but that doesn’t mean his biggest area for improvement should be put on the back-burner by any means. For the Suns’ newest first round pick to prove himself as a franchise pillar alongside Devin Booker, he’s got to fine-tune that shot of his.

Though Jackson converted 37.8 percent of his 2.6 long range attempts per game in college, the NBA three-point line is another animal entirely. Jackson’s release doesn’t project to translate well to the next level, which is why fine-tuning his stroke should be a long-term goal for the coaching staff.

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As a rookie, Jackson’s focus will be on doing whatever it takes to earn minutes on the wing, but if he can even display a robust efficiency from three-point range on limited attempts, the Suns will benefit from having a foundation to build upon.

After watching Jackson go 3-for-16 from deep in Summer League play, perhaps 33 percent efficiency from long range– an underwhelming mark — might actually be too lofty a goal.

But Jackson still earned All-Summer League First Team honors despite his 42.5 percent shooting from the field and 18.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc, showing he can still make an impact even without a red-hot perimeter stroke.

In his first NBA season, if he can post even average three-point efficiency, it’ll go a long way in reassuring everyone that either his unorthodox release can work, or that his stroke can be tweaked to be more effective at the next level.

3. Carve out role with new teammates

Jackson will have plenty to worry about individually as a rookie, but his first NBA season is really just the first stepping stone toward a brighter future for Phoenix’s youth movement as a whole.

The Suns’ championship prospects five years from now aren’t as contingent on Jackson becoming a go-to scorer or Booker averaging 30 a game as much as they are on a core of Booker, Jackson, Bender and Marquese Chriss learning how to complement one another and use their diverse strengths to cover for each other’s weaknesses.

As such, Jackson’s rookie year will be spent feeling out his teammates on both ends of the floor, all while lending his never-back-down mentality to a young group that’s already got plenty to say on the court.

On the offensive end, Jackson’s fit with #TheTimeline goes far beyond how often his three-point shot falls. His ability to attack the basket will be contingent on a more efficient Devin Booker and Dragan Bender spreading the floor. His slashing will be more effective with Tyler Ulis, Booker or Phoenix’s currently unnamed point guard of the future being able to feed him.

With T.J. Warren serving as the forgotten man, Jackson will be able to learn from one of the game’s under-the-radar cutters and finishers near the basket. He’ll need to learn how to spread the floor, when to defer to Booker and when to put his underrated scoring ability to work.

There’s no question that athleticism and speed are on Jackson’s side, as he frequently turned steals, turnovers and fast break opportunities into unchallenged dunks at the rim.

The path of no resistance isn’t one that’s traversed very often at the NBA level, but getting out and running with this young group is a good way to get Jackson easy looks and build his game-to-game confidence.

On the defensive end, Jackson will be responsible for undertaking whatever defensive assignment is thrown his way, while also learning how to help whenever there are lapses in focus (Eric Bledsoe), size (Tyler Ulis) or simple effort/know-how (Devin Booker) on the perimeter.

He’s not strong enough to guard 4s just yet, but that probably won’t stop head coach Earl Watson from trying as soon as next season with small-ball lineups.

As a rookie, Jackson should have plenty of individual things to work on, but one of the biggest things that will determine the success of 2017-18 — and the early stages of #TheTimeline as a whole — is how well he meshes with Booker, Bender, Chriss, Ulis and the building blocks of the future.

"“When I look at Phoenix, that’s one of the things that really excites me is that they’re young,” Jackson said. “I know that I got a lot of things to learn coming into this league. I know that they still got some things that they need to learn, but being able to learn those things together and come up and group up together, I think down the road that will make our team chemistry just so much better and end up making us a really special team.”"

2. Earn the starting job at small forward

Josh Jackson is already being penciled in as the fixture at small forward for #TheTimeline, but that doesn’t mean T.J. Warren — who is eligible for a contract extension before the start of the season — will simply roll over and hand him the starting job.

Warren may be the forgotten man in the Suns’ rebuild at the moment, but it’s worth mentioning that he was averaging 17.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on 45.8 percent shooting before his mysterious head injury, and that he closed out the season strong, posting 17.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on 56 percent shooting after the All-Star break.

As of right now, he should be ahead of Jackson on the depth chart, but Warren looks more like a super-sixth man and less like a long-term starter with each passing day. The Suns may even try him as a small-ball 4 until Jackson gets strong enough to give it a try himself.

In any case, the two will mostly be competing for minutes at the 3, and it’ll be the rookie’s job to come in with the same mentality his front office has in regards to his bright future.

"“We thought Josh Jackson was the best player in the draft,” general manager Ryan McDonough said. “People say, ‘Well yeah, maybe he’s the best two-way player,’ but last I checked, the game was played two ways, you don’t just play one. We really like Josh — his talent, we love his fit for our roster.”"

McDonough, Watson and the rest of the Suns are high on Jackson, but now it’s his job to speed up the process of living up to those expectations and surpass Warren in the rotation.

It probably won’t happen right away, but Jackson should make it his personal goal to chase the inevitable and establish himself as the team’s starting wing by season’s end (and not just because the Suns might be tanking and feeding the youngsters more minutes down the stretch again).

1. Win Rookie of the Year

So far, we’ve pretty much described an ideal debut season for Josh Jackson: He comes out with a vengeance on the defensive end to make it his calling card, he shoots an underwhelming percentage from downtown but one the Suns can build on, he jells with his new teammates who will be around for quite awhile and he surpasses T.J. Warren as the new starter at the 3.

If Jackson does all these things, he still may be on the outside looking in with such a crowded Rookie of the Year race, but he’ll at least be on the fringe of the conversation.

Looking around the league, there are plenty of players who will get more opportunity than Jackson from the get-go, and that’s okay. Jackson and the Suns’ time is in the future, not in year one.

The explosive Dennis Smith Jr. could be the starting point guard for the Dallas Mavericks from day one. Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz will be wheeling and dealing in highly anticipated rookie seasons for a possibly playoff-bound Philadelphia 76ers squad. Lonzo Ball will get all the attention any time he even sniffs double-digit assists…you get the idea.

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But the goal for any top-five pick should be winning Rookie of the Year, and if Jackson is able to overtake Warren’s minutes in the rotation early on, it’s possible his two-way play could earn him some votes.

Jackson would likely have to average something like a 15-7-3 stat line to even be considered in this conversation, with decent shooting marks and stout defense bolstering his case. He’d also need a little help from some of those aforementioned ROY favorites in the form of disappointing debut seasons.

The newest Suns rook is a long shot for the award because of an unsteady jumper and Warren’s presence. As we saw last year, Earl Watson isn’t going to just hand over minutes to rookies unless a post All-Star break mandate from the front office is attached.

However, Jackson also put up some monster numbers in Summer League and seems to thrive on doubters and critics.

"“I think my versatility, just my competitive spirit,” Jackson said when asked what makes him stand out. “I don’t think the other guys in this draft really care as much as I do. I don’t think they play as hard as I do, period. I think that’s what really makes me special. I refuse to fail, period.”"

Next: 5 reasons the Phoenix Suns should avoid a Kyrie Irving trade

He may not get the opportunity from opening night, but for a young Suns team already embracing Josh Jackson as part of its bright future, perhaps he’ll surprise some people by not only taking Warren’s starting job, but throttling that promotion all the way to the Rookie of the Year Award.