Power Forward #3: GG Jackson, South Carolina
Everything about GG Jackson’s lone season for the Gamecocks has more layers of context than most draft prospects, which makes him quite divisive. He was one of the youngest players in division one last year, had one of the longest leashes for freshman players, and had a wildly polarizing season in the SEC.
While he has some legitimate concerns with his shot selection and his willingness and ability to pass the ball, there’s so much else to like about a teenager who should be going to prom averaging fifteen points, six rebounds, and almost a block and a steal per game in the SEC. Those stats speak more to Jackson’s upside than they do his flaws:
GG Jackson running in transition off a rebound and gets a put back dunk pic.twitter.com/SJntRXskiL
— Israel (@iohandles) November 9, 2022
Any team that wants to take Jackson will be banking on the fact that he is both incredibly young and raw but also productive and talented at this age. There’s a case for him to go in the late lottery to a team like the Thunder or for a team like the Utah Jazz to take him with their second or third pick, but whether he goes early or late in the first, Jackson will be one of the most interesting power forward prospects to watch in the coming years.