Prospect skill spotlight: Josh Jackson’s rim protection

Kansas’ Josh Jackson is one of the top five prospects in the 2017 NBA draft because of his unique two-way ability as a 6-foot-8 wing.

The fact that Jackson lacks an outside shot and is still highly rated as a prospect suggests he excels in other areas of the game which are unique for his position. For example, he is an outlier creator on the offensive end where his passing ability helps make his teammates better. Jackson is also an excellent defender and his aptitude as a secondary rim protector is the focus of this breakdown.

While mostly playing as a small ball 4 for the Jayhawks, Jackson is averaging 2.1 blocks per 40 minutes, per Sports-Reference, with a block rate of 5.3 percent, per KenPom. His ability to protect the rim while often playing next to Landen Lucas, an experienced defender, but below average shot blocker, has been important for Kansas this season. Among small forwards who are ranked as top 100 prospects on DraftExpress, Jackson slots fourth in block percentage between 6-foot-11 Jonathan Isaac and noted wing defender OG Anunoby:

Unlike Anunoby who boasts a reported 7-foot-6 wingspan, Jackson doesn’t have elite length. His 6-foot-10 wingspan is rather average for his size, forcing him to rely on a combination of aggressiveness, instincts and athleticism to challenge shots at the rim. That’s been enough for him to deliver some highlight blocks from the weakside:

Jackson does a very good job of reading plays as they develop — an expression of his impressive instincts — which allows him to slide into position to create blocked shots. Once there, he’s explosive off of two feet and does well timing his jump to attack the shot on the way up:

The final thing worth mentioning is Jackson has a good understanding of verticality. Although he’s committing 4.3 fouls per 40 minutes, very few of those are the results of his attempts protecting the rim. Instead, Jackson does a tremendous job of going straight up, using every inch of his reach to obstruct the shot of offensive players as they attack the basket:

So, will Josh Jackson’s collegiate rim protection translate at the NBA level? Certainly his average 6-foot-10 wingspan works against the idea because he’ll be playing against better and longer athletes in the league. However, historically, there is an extremely high correlation between college block rate and NBA block rate, suggesting that more likely than not Jackson will be a valuable shot blocker at the next level.

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If Jackson can provide an NBA team with some secondary rim protection, it maximizes his chances at being a positionally diverse defender. For example, Draymond Green’s ability to challenge shots at the rim (and rebound against larger players) is what allows the Golden State Warriors to play their Death Lineup. The likelihood Jackson can fulfill a similar role is low, as it is for everyone, but he should be able to slot in as a small ball 4 in several situations assuming he puts on the strength to battle bigger opponents.

Jackson’s creation ability on offense and his talent for generating defensive events such as blocks is what has helped him overcome concerns about his outside shot and hold his position as a top five prospect in the 2017 draft.