2017 NBA Mock Draft, Week 22: College basketball is over

Despite an 0-for-9 shooting performance from behind the arc in the national championship game, perhaps no player caught my eye more during the NCAA Tournament than North Carolina’s Justin Jackson. Something about the 6-foot-8 wing’s scoring ability clicked for me during March. Jackson has a well-rounded offensive arsenal. He can beat close outs, get into the lane and finish with one of the more unstoppable floaters in the sport given his size.

The 22-year old also turned himself into a quality outside shooter this season despite that rough outing on Monday night. He made 37.0 percent of his 3-point attempts this season with a massive increase in his number of attempts and an improvement in his free throw shooting as well. How well Jackson shoots it from deep will be key to unlocking his NBA game.

Defensively, Jackson did really well in the tournament against smaller players like Kentucky’s Malik Monk, but he may face some difficulties guarding NBA wings because he doesn’t have a ton of weight on his frame. Add in the fact that he produced very little statistically on that end in terms of rebounds, blocks and steals and it’s fair to have concerns about what he’ll bring at the next level.

Learn more about Justin Jackson at The Step Back.