NCAA Tournament: Top 5 NBA prospects from the Midwest Region
By Tyler King
Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Michigan State
Jaren Jackson Jr. doesn’t have the greatest stats, but yet he continues to shoot up draft boards because of his potential.
He is almost looking like a lock to be a top-five selection at this point because of his potential as a small ball five in the NBA.
The freshman forward is a monster defensively thanks to his long arms that allow him to disrupt passing lanes and block shots. He was named Big Ten Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year.
Jackson averaged over three blocks per game and was the key cog in the Spartans defense this season.
He does have the ability to score, however, but his 3-point shoot has been streaky and he will likely be asked to shoot more at the next level.
Michigan State seems to have an easy path to the Sweet 16 where they will likely have an interesting matchup against Duke. A lot of people are picking the Spartans to reach the Final Four and Jackson will be one of the main reasons they reach that point if they do.
Next, we’ll take a look at another Blue Devil big man.