New Orleans Pelicans: Frank Jackson’s high ceiling

Frank Jackson showed the NBA just a glimpse of his talent last year. Soon, he may have his opportunity to show the entirety of what he can do.

All one has to do is search for Frank Jackson’s New Orleans Pelicans highlights on YouTube to see what this kid is capable of. In his short amount of time in the NBA, Jackson has shown enough to prove that he can be a night in and night out contributor on any NBA roster.

The guard out of Duke University is coming off an NBA Summer League game in which he put up 30 points while shooting 65.0 percent from the field in just 32 minutes of action. In his brief stint in the G League this previous season, Jackson averaged 26.8 points per game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field.

Having just one year of collegiate play under his belt at Duke University, Jackson couldn’t have had better coaching to set himself up for a successful NBA career with a high level of praise. In his tenure with the Blue Devils, Coach Krzyzewski has not only won five NCAA division one championships, but he’s also led several Olympic teams to gold medals and is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in all of basketball.

"“He has a bright future ahead of him,” said Krzyzewski according to 247sports.com. “His combination of athleticism and fearlessness makes him a special player. The next step for him is to continue to develop with the Pelicans so he can maximize his exceptional potential.”"

While at Duke, having only played one year, Jackson played in all 36 of the Blue Devil’s games, making 16 starts for a team that included Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen, Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles and Amile Jefferson, all of whom are currently on an NBA roster. Even while being surrounded by the plethora of talent Duke regularly has to offer, the Alpine, Utah native put up a respectable 10.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game.

Jackson’s play thus far at the collegiate and professional levels reflects one NBA star in particular.

There are shades of James Harden in his game in regards to his shot, smooth athleticism, finishing touch at the basket and the passing ability. Jackson also looks phenomenal at times in the high pick and roll — a key piece in most, if not all NBA offenses.

It’s difficult to emulate exactly what Harden does for the Houston Rockets. There have been plenty of comparisons to his game in more recent drafts with RJ Barrett, Markelle Fultz, Kevin Porter Jr, soo take this with a grain of salt if you’d like. Jackson did only average 8.1 points and 1.1 assists in 19.2 minutes per game last year. Now he’ll be splitting minutes with Lonzo Ball.

However, with the ever-injured Ball in front of him, Jackson may see his opportunity coming quicker than he thinks. Taking the clear confidence he has on the floor in the Summer League and G-League to the NBA level will be the task at hand for him. But, if the opportunity presents itself, the Pelicans may just have another star in waiting.