NBA Draft 2017: Kings take Justin Jackson at No. 15
The Sacramento Kings traded down for the No. 15 pick in the NBA Draft, coming away with long wing Justin Jackson from North Carolina.
With the No. 15 pick, which they acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday, the Sacramento Kings have selected 6-foot-8 forward Justin Jackson. Having already drafted De’Aaron Fox, whom they hope will be their point guard of the future, at No. 5, the Kings preferred to move their second lottery pick (No. 10) in exchange for two picks just outside the lottery (No. 15 and 20). Toward the beginning of a rebuild following last trade deadline’s dealing away of superstar DeMarcus Cousins, the more first-round picks, the better for the Kings. Possibly outside of shooting guard (they reportedly have high hopes for Buddy Hield) and point guard (with the drafting of De’Aaron Fox), the long-suffering Kings could stand to improve at virtually every position.
Jackson, a 22-year-old junior small forward out of the University of North Carolina, is a little older than most draft prospects. With age, comes experience, however. Jackson led the Tar Heels in scoring with 18.3 points per game en route to a 2017 NCAA National Championship, his school’s second consecutive trip to the Final game. In addition to getting a winner, Sacramento receives a much-improved 3-point shooter. After hovering around the 30 percent mark through his first two collegiate seasons, Jackson hit 37 percent of his long-range attempts during his junior season. Even more notably, nearly half of his field-goal attempts all season came from beyond the arc.
Next: FanSided 2017 NBA Draft Tracker
Although he boasts an impressive 6-11 wingspan, Jackson is not regarded as one of the better athletes at his position. At times, he should be able to rely on his high Basketball IQ in order to get open, but building his strength in the gym will also go a long way. As of draft day, he weighs a mere 193 pounds. Failure to bulk up would also make it difficult to put Jackson defensively against a much bigger stretch four.
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