Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 options for pick No. 8 in 2018 NBA Draft
By Ryan Piers
5. Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jackson is a great fit for the Cavs, but he’s unlikely to be around at the eighth pick. Widely thought of as a clear top-three selection, a bad NCAA tournament may have sunk his stock.
Jackson is a contemporary (we’ll say that a lot over the next few slides) NBA big man, with quick feet, lots of length and a smooth shooting stroke.
Jackson only averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last year on a loaded Michigan State team, but he shot 51.3 percent from the field, 39.6 percent from the 3-point line, while hitting just a hair under 80 percent from the free throw line.
He also led a deep Big Ten conference with 3.1 blocks per game, exhibiting his incredible defensive prowess while playing limited minutes for coach Tom Izzo.
JJJ PER 40: 20 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 5.5 BLK, 1.1 STL
— Max (@maxmcc11) May 14, 2018
Ayton PER 40: 24 PPG, 14 RPG, 2.3 BLK, 0.7 STL
JJJ EFF/ADV: 40% 3PT, 80% FT, 65% TS, 5.1 OBPM, 10.3 DBPM
Ayton EFF/ADV: 34% 3PT, 73% FT, 65% TS, 6.9 OBPM, 4.0 DBPM
Jaren Jackson is over a year younger than Deandre Ayton.
Had he played 30 minutes a game, Jackson might have matriculated numbers comparable to Marvin Bagley III and Deandre Ayton, both of whom will likely go top three.
Bottom line, Jackson is a complete player with an NBA build. He is the kind of guy that you can form a squad around, which Cleveland might need to if LeBron James leaves.