Phoenix Suns: The good and the bad of rookie Josh Jackson so far

Phoenix Suns rookie Josh Jackson has struggled early in the 2017-18 NBA season. Here’s a look at both the good and bad from his game so far.

At 4-9, with a fired head coach and two losses of at least 42 points under the belts, the Phoenix Suns haven’t gotten off to the smoothest of starts. Considering most of those things happened in the team’s first three games of the 2017-18 campaign, the first 13 games of the season have carried more misery and despair than most teams experience in a full 82-game slate.

Making matters worse is the fact that on a young team, with only flashes of the future to enjoy, Devin Booker‘s progress is really the only thing this team has to feel good about so far, and even that’s subject to nightly debate with opposing Twitter fanbases.

As such, it wasn’t great for fans’ mental or emotional health to see rookie Josh Jackson struggle through the first 12 games of the season. Ironically enough, game No. 13 on Friday proved to be the lucky charm for Jackson. The question is, can he build on it after an inconsistent start?

As the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Jackson is supposed to represent a sure thing, a two-way star who would at worst be another franchise pillar alongside Booker to cover for Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss if they never pan out, and at best become the next franchise savior.

We won’t know where he falls on that spectrum until a few years down the road, but here’s a look at both the good and bad we’ve seen thus far from his rookie year. From his raw numbers to the good and bad of his rim attacks to his jump shot to his defense, passing and turnovers, it’s time for a Josh Jackson deep dive.