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2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year ladder: Week 5 power rankings

By Jerran Anderson

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images /
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Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images /

8. Josh Jackson, Phoenix Suns

Last week: N/A

Rookie forward Josh Jackson is another Phoenix Suns’ player who is still figuring out his role on this roster. Jackson is back in the Rookie of the Year race after a strong performance off the bench.

After being held scoreless in their game on Monday night against the Lakers, Jackson had a 16-point outing on Thursday night. Unfortunately, their opponent was the Houston Rockets and their high-powered offense, so the Suns lost 142-116. Still, Jackson was 6-for-11 from the floor with three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 29 minutes of action.

Jackson is averaging 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game so far for the Suns. They’ve had quite the interesting start to their season since the firing of head coach Earl Watson and the trading of Eric Bledsoe.

Jackson is shooting just 39.1 percent from field goal range and 26.7 percent from 3-point land. As his minutes increase, so should his production, but he’ll need to be more efficient if he hopes to remain a key player in the rotation.