2017 NBA Mock Draft 3.0

The Suns roll with Jackson here, adding perhaps the most versatile wing in this year’s class. With the two top point guards off the board and their backcourt relatively settled around Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker at this point, it makes sense for them to venture to the wing for some additional long term depth outside of T.J. Warren.

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Jackson’s one knock at this point is that he can’t shoot from the perimeter, and that’s something Phoenix would have to work around year one. Bledsoe doesn’t exactly thrive as a spot-up shooter by any means, and Jackson’s best offensive flashes come when he’s driving the lane and opening up passing lanes elsewhere on the floor. That does, however, provide a really nice combination with the aforementioned Booker’s prowess as a 3-point shooter. If the Suns are looking to (wisely) build for the post-Bledsoe era, that makes a Jackson pick even more reasonable.

Jackson’s ultra-strong feel for the game and uncanny athleticism should allow him to find success off the ball some, even in an awkward fit with alongside an attack-heavy point guard in Bledsoe. He excels when pushing the pace in transition and finding teammates leaking out on the fastbreak, something this Suns’ youthful core is well constructed for. Both Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender are capable — in different capacities — as shooters from deep, while both scale the court in long strides in transition. Booker has obvious value as the trailing shooter in transition.

The offensive upside, combined with Jackson’s elite defensive presence on the wing, is enough to push him up to the third spot here — and he’s someone the Suns would have few qualms about taking should he remain available.