Phoenix Suns: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks

5: Josh Jackson (2017)

Though he never panned out for the Suns, Jackson wasn’t all that terrible for the team, even though he showed a lot of bust potential.

Jackson was drafted fourth overall in 2017. Jackson was arguably one of the best prospects heading into the draft, being able to score consistently while being a fantastic defender. The Suns made a great decision selecting the Kansas product, who was able to dominate in his freshman season.

Jackson had a ton of potential, expected to make a superstar leap in the NBA. Compared to his prospects, Jackson was on the level of Jayson Tatum and Lonzo Ball, but he wouldn’t be able to fulfill the hype at all.

Jackson had two seasons in Phoenix, where he averaged 12.3 points in 25.3 minutes per game. Compared to his fellow prospects, Jackson certainly wasn’t on there level, with other rookies such as Tatum, Donovan Mitchell and Kyle Kuzma, who all had shining rookie seasons. Jackson was surprisingly decent and was better than most fans say he was.

He was certainly overhyped, but Jackson was quite good in his two-season stint in Phoenix. In 2019, Jackson would get traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he’d spent a lot of time in the G League. Since making the return to the NBA from the G League, Jackson was decent before the season’s suspension.