Kansas Small Forward Josh Jackson Has Incredible Upside But Not Enough Philadelphia 76ers Fit
I fell in love with Josh Jackson fairly early in the college basketball season. Sometime in early November he stood out to me as one of my two favorite players to watch from a pure entertainment value standpoint. The other player I had similar feelings for was D’Aaron Fox, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I confess, I love watching Josh Jackson play basketball, but I kind of don’t want the Philadelphia 76ers to draft him. He inspires much hope, but also some very serious worry as a fit on the team.
I also watched a lot of Markelle Fultz through the first 3 months of the season. Fultz was immediately the number one prospect in my view, but I never fell in love with watching him play. The reasons for this are numerous and do not color my opinion about if he is the best player in the draft. He is. But for pure entertainment value, the Washington Huskies broadcasts were dark and the camera angles were more akin to a high school broadcast versus the bright lights big city feel of a Kentucky, Kansas or UCLA broadcast. I am fully aware that these things color my view. I am working on myself.
Bear with me.
Hearts and Minds Divided
But here’s the thing about emotion, it can lead to poor decisions. When people would talk to me about Josh Jackson what I would first bring up was not his stats or height weight wingspan. What I always brought up was his sheer enthusiasm. He has an infectious delight that he plays with that is similar to Joel Embiid.
Jackson is very bouncy, hes quick and he is a highlight maker. He can light up an entire gym with his gambling defense and his fast break dunks. His enthusiasm for the game and competitive fire is much closer to Joel Embiid than it is Ben Simmons.
First off, we should abandon any notion that Jackson is a point forward, or a similar player to Ben Simmons. He simply is not. He has good handle and vision for a wing player but he is not a primary initiator of offense. I think he compares much more closely to three other existing players in the NBA: Justice Winslow, Stanley Johnson and Andrew Wiggins. All three of these players have value to their teams, but would any of them really fit with Simmons and Embiid?
The Comparison
First the measurables via .http://www.draftexpress.com
Player |
Height |
Wingspan |
| Josh Jackson | 6’7.75″ | 6’9.75″ |
| Stanley Johnson | 6’6.5″ | 6’11.5″ |
| Justice Winslow | 6’6.5″ | 6’10” |
| Andrew Wiggins | 6’8″ | 7’0″ |
As you can see, Josh Jackson falls closer to Johnson or Winslow from a height and wingspan standpoint. Stylistically he shares many traits in common with this group as he is primarily a slasher. He is as nearly as tall as Wiggins but not nearly as long. These are good measureables for a Shooting Guard, but very average for a small forward. So is he a shooting guard? All three of these players are fairly true small forwards in the NBA right now. So what do the offensive stats say?