Phoenix Suns: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 NBA season

2. Josh Jackson is the real deal

To say Josh Jackson experienced a bumpy start to his rookie season is like saying Earl Watson was a bad coach, or that coin flips to decide who gets the No. 1 overall draft pick are stupid.

Through the first two and a half months of his rookie season, the 20-year-old wing out of Kansas looked a lot more like a complete draft bust than the top-five pick/Devin Booker running mate/possibly best overall talent from the 2017 draft class he was pegged to be.

Then a funny thing happened: Josh Jackson started being really good at basketball again. Just take a look at his numbers from 2017 compared to 2018, when things finally started to click:

• 2017 Josh Jackson: 38 GP, 21.6 MPG, 9.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, .378/.239/.564 shooting splits
• 2018 Josh Jackson: 39 GP, 29.2 MPG, 17.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.6 BPG, .440/.279/.685 shooting splits

After the calendar flipped to 2018, Jackson ranked second in scoring, eighth in rebounding, 21st in assists and 14th in steals among all rookies. On the season, even with his rocky first half taken into consideration, he still ranked eighth in scoring (13.1 PPG) and 10th in rebounding (4.6 RPG) among rookies.

There are still clearly areas where Jackson needs to improve. As he often displayed early on, he sometimes plays too fast and gets himself in trouble with turnovers, out of control shots at the rim or drives destined for drawing offensive fouls.

His 3-point shooting will determine his ceiling as an NBA player, because without a respectable perimeter jumper, defenses will wise up on how to prevent him from getting to the rim, where he’s at his most efficient.

With that being said, Jackson converted 56.8 percent of his looks at the rim in 2018, flashing exceptional finishing ability through, around and above contact. He’s got nifty speed and midair maneuverability you can’t teach, and that’s only going to get better as he gets older, stronger and more experienced.

"“I think for him, we’ve said all along his basketball I.Q. is extremely high,” Triano explained. “I think early it was like trying to figure the NBA out. He even told you guys and he said to us, ‘I didn’t realize that everybody was so good.’ He could use his athleticism to be better than people when he was at Kansas. But right now, he was going and playing at full speed and people were matching that speed. Now, he’s learned to pick and choose when he can attack.”"

Jackson admitted he never studied film before reaching the NBA, but once he had access to the behind-the-scenes side of becoming a more educated basketball player, he started taking advantage of it. Between the game film and letting the game slow down for him, Jackson looked more comfortable with each passing week.

Though there are still inherent areas for improvement in his game, his ability to score, defend and make plays quickly shone through — particularly after Devin Booker and T.J. Warren went down with injuries, making Jackson the de facto No. 1 option on offense.

That’s a huge responsibility for any 20-year-old, let alone a rookie on one of the worst and most shorthanded teams in the association. And yet, after the All-Star break with the Suns missing several key players for long stretches, he averaged 18.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on 43.8 percent shooting.

"“I think he’s finding his way through [being a No. 1 option],” Triano said. “He’s recognizing when he comes off screens, now guys are hitting him a little bit and he’s going to have to move the ball. He’s electric in the open court, he’s electric if you get him a little big of an angle and a lane to the basket. I think he’s come a long way as far as what he can do. And making shots, from the perimeter, will be an addition to what he can do. And when he does that it’s going to be great.”"

After the All-Star break, Jackson reached the 20-point threshold in eight of his 20 games. He scored at least 15 points in 12 straight games to close the season, a 15-point streak matched only by the two leading scorers in franchise history as Suns rookies, Walter Davis and Alvan Adams.

This hot stretch was also highlighted by a career-high 36 points against the Golden State Warriors.

Jackson will need to be able to spread the floor one day, and his shot selection could do with some improvement, but his abilities as a slasher, driver, passer, dunker in transition and stout defender look like the real deal.

Triano listed developing a 3-point shot, ball-handling and being more consistent with picking and choosing his spots on offense as areas to focus on during his first NBA offseason — along with continuing to improve his conditioning.

"“We’ve seen that when he gets tired, he makes mental mistakes and learning how to play through an 82-game schedule and through a large number of minutes and a 48-minute game are big things for him where the fatigue doesn’t drain him physically or mentally, so he can play at that level,” Triano said."

It wasn’t pretty at first, and with Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and so many other rookies thriving around the league, it was easy for Suns fans to feel buyer’s remorse by Christmas.

Luckily, Jackson experienced one of the biggest midseason turnarounds we’ve seen from a rookie in some time, helping him not only alleviate the “draft bust” concerns, but prove himself as a legitimate two-way partner for Devin Booker for the long run.