For the second straight year, Notre Dame has a point guard in the conversation to be a mid-1st round pick in the NBA Draft. Current New York Knicks rookie Jerian Grant led the charge for the perhaps the best Notre Dame season in recent memory in 2014-15. Heading into this season, there was question of how the team would rebound from losing Grant, as well as sharpshooter Pat Connaughton.
The focus in particular was on Demetrius Jackson, Grant’s backcourt mate who would be taking over the primary scoring and playmaking duties, and had a shot at the NBA Draft if things went well.
INTL. PROSPECTS: Marko Arapovic | Cedi Osman | Tomas Satoransky | Bogdan Bogdanovic
So far, Jackson hasn’t been the sensation that Grant was, but things have worked out pretty well for him and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish sit at 17-7, should easily get into the NCAA Tournament once again, and have the nation’s No. 1 offense in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom. Jackson has been at the forefront of that, leading the Irish in scoring and assists while averaging 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. This has propelled him into being considered a potential lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and he’s currently slated as the 12th best prospect by Draft Express and the third-best point guard prospect behind Kris Dunn of Providence and Jamal Murray of Kentucky.
There are some concerns with Jackson and how he will translate to the NBA, particularly revolving around his size. Jackson is somewhat small at just 6-1, and there is some question to whether that will hold him back due to his particular play style. Despite this, though, Jackson has made a huge leap this year from accent piece to leading scorer of a fantastic offense. Can he make another leap to being an NBA starter?
Offense
Jackson is a versatile offensive player, and has proven this year he can both score and distribute at a high level. Notre Dame runs Jackson out of a lot of pick-and-rolls, and he’s a fluid creator out of this set, both for himself and teammates. He is adept at drawing defenders in with penetration and kicking to open teammates:
He can also get the ball to a roll man in good spots, and that’s going to be important for him at the next level. Jackson likes to dish pocket passes when he’s faced with a double-team out of a pick and roll, and he can also be deceptive with the ball in his hands and dangle the defense with the threat of a pass to his big before finishing inside:
Jackson’s taken well to being the lead guard in Notre Dame’s offense, and his court vision and hands have helped him excel in an NBA-style offense. He also doesn’t make many mistakes with the ball, as he averages just 2.2 turnovers per 40 minutes. Growing into a strong passer will likely be something Jackson will need to continue at the next level, and he’s off to a solid start with the season he’s put together.
Jackson doesn’t just excel passing out of the pick-and-roll, either. As the GIF above shows, he’s a crafty finisher around the basket, and despite his small stature, he’s a strong player who doesn’t mind attacking the rim off the bounce, even against contact:
Jackson uses a very similar game to Kyle Lowry when he attacks the basket. There’s a lot of hesitation moves and artistic glides into and around contact, and Jackson’s footwork around the basket and muscular frame help him finish well inside. Jackson shoots 56.5 percent at the rim this season, via the Point After, and while he’s not the best at drawing free throws (4.6 free throw attempts per 40 minutes), this makes him a pretty complete all-around player out of the pick-and-roll.
Jackson hasn’t had the same success from 3-point range this year as he did last year playing off of Jerian Grant, and that’s been slightly concerning. He’s shooting just 34 percent from deep, a big drop-off from his 42.9 percent clip last season. He has decent form on his 3-point shot, however, and when he gets space, Jackson has still been decent this year. He has shown flashes as a corner 3 shooter as well. The main culprit of Jackson’s drop-off has been a combination of more off-the-dribble 3s, less space because of the loss of Grant and Connaughton, and a higher volume of outside shots overall.
All three of those things would naturally lead to a drop-off from the 3-point line, and Jackson’s still hitting an acceptable percentage, even if it’s far from the 42-plus percent he was firing for his career before this year. Jackson’s 3-point shooting shouldn’t be an issue at the next level, especially as he will likely focus on that more as he continues to develop.
Defense
Defense is a two-part story for Jackson. It’s not surprising that Jackson’s size limits him somewhat defensively, and he does struggle to contain penetration at times. However, on the ball, Jackson actually fairs pretty well. He’s good at defending the pick-and-roll, and he has great technique fighting through screens and trailing the opposing ball-handler:
He can also use his quickness to compensate for a relative lack of wingspan, and does a solid job of reading the opposing guards’ movements. When he’s locked in, Jackson can be a capable defender.
However, that “locked in” phrase is not often something that applies to Jackson, and his defense (particularly off the ball) is a great encapsulation of Notre Dame’s team-wide defensive struggles. Jackson’s apathy off the ball is startling, and watching him when the action is elsewhere, you can see how he’ll get taken advantage of at the next level — at least early on. At times, he looks generally perplexed by action on the opposite side:
A lot of this could be coaching, as defense is somewhat optional for many Mike Brey teams, but if Jackson struggles early on with adjusting to the speed of NBA point guards, he could really have some issues seeing the floor.
Overall Impression
Jackson definitely deserves the hype that he’s getting as a potential lottery pick. If Jackson’s outside shooting can stabilize, he has displayed excellent point guard skills in one of college basketball’s best simulations for the NBA style of play. He’s developed into a solid passer and finisher, and if he lands in a good situation, he should be someone who can develop into a quality offensive point guard in the NBA. Defensively, he’s going to struggle initially, but that happens to many point guards coming into the league, and if he can at least be passable on the ball, which he’s shown to be at the college level, he should be okay in the long term with proper coaching.
Jackson looks the part of an NBA-level point guard, and though he has some real weaknesses, he’s shown the ability to perform some high-level skills to counteract some of those weaknesses. If put in the right situation, Jackson should be well worth a lottery pick, and at the very least, looks the part of a capable NBA rotation player.