2017 NBA Mock Draft 3.0

Jackson — the ACC player of the year — has made his most impressive strides yet this season. He has transformed from an inconsistent, downhill scorer into one of the conference’s more effective all-around options. His three-point percentage is up to 37.7 percent this season, a circa 10 percent jump in comparison to his prior two seasons. The junior is finally rounding into what many thought his ceiling could signify, and his NBA draft stock seems to be rising substantially as a result.

With neither Danilo Gallinari nor Wilson Chandler much of a guarantee moving forward, the Nuggets could be looking to pull the trigger on some extra depth at the forward spots. With an offense based around ball movement, headed by Nikola Jokic and the ever-skilled duo of Gary Harris and — at least, more so moving forward — Jamal Murray, Jackson’s heady slashing and solid spot-up game could translate nicely.

He makes sharp cuts off the ball, and manages to boast a consistently impressive furnishing touch around the basket despite a somewhat unnatural feel to his game. He doesn’t make it look fluid all the time, but it works — and his skill level has shown tremendous improvements this season nonetheless.

Jackson also brings some nice defensive potential to the wing, with his long arms and solid mobility allowing him to keep up with multiple positions on the perimeter. His strength will likely determine how effective he is venturing down into the interior at the next level — especially if he tries any minutes as a stretch four — but that’s, at a minimum, a few years away as it currently stands.