Jaren Jackson Jr.

[Chi town]

JJJ will be the steal of the draft because Ayton, Bagley, and maybe even Young will be picked before him.

JJJ next to Lauri would form the best young front court in the league. Highly versatile. 2 way. 3pt shooting.

Still think the kid reminds me so much of KG. If KG played in today's NBA he'd be a 5.

[clyde21]

JJJ will be the steal of the draft because Ayton, Bagley, and maybe even Young will be picked before him.

JJJ next to Lauri would form the best young front court in the league. Highly versatile. 2 way. 3pt shooting.

Still think the kid reminds me so much of KG. If KG played in today's NBA he'd be a 5.

Jackson and Lauri in the front court would be a ridiculous.

[daoneandonly]

I want to see the Junior Varsity Boys together, Jaren Jackson jr and Dennis Smith Jr.

[Foliohattu]

JJJ will be the steal of the draft because Ayton, Bagley, and maybe even Young will be picked before him.

JJJ next to Lauri would form the best young front court in the league. Highly versatile. 2 way. 3pt shooting.

Still think the kid reminds me so much of KG. If KG played in today's NBA he'd be a 5.

JJJ is really good, but KG was such a great passer and rebounder in comparison.

[SeattleJazzFan]

JJJ will be the steal of the draft because Ayton, Bagley, and maybe even Young will be picked before him.

JJJ next to Lauri would form the best young front court in the league. Highly versatile. 2 way. 3pt shooting.

Still think the kid reminds me so much of KG. If KG played in today's NBA he'd be a 5.

JJJ is really good, but KG was such a great passer and rebounder in comparison.

and JJJ on a completely different level from distance.

[Mulhollanddrive]

One game seems to have changed alot.

[Chi town]

One game seems to have changed alot.

Not really. He just showed everything in one game that he has shown in bits and pieces in all of His games.

His talent is being hidden due to system much like Lauris was a Tough Zona last year.

[Ruzious]

One game seems to have changed alot.

If you mean his 3 point shooting, he's made 7 of 9 3's against my Terps this season.

And scouts realize who he's playing with on his front court - Ward has to play inside and is very effective there, and Miles is a 230 lb 3 who would be the strongest guy on some opposing college teams. Even their backup forwards are physically imposing. JJJ would be used differently on a typical college team. Not to mention - he's 18 and hasn't fully matured on or off the court.

[DirtyDez]

He turned 18 last September so technically should be a Sr in high school right now. How unfair would that have been?

[nolang1]

And scouts realize who he's playing with on his front court - Ward has to play inside and is very effective there, and Miles is a 230 lb 3 who would be the strongest guy on some opposing college teams. Even their backup forwards are physically imposing. JJJ would be used differently on a typical college team. Not to mention - he's 18 and hasn't fully matured on or off the court.

Is that good or bad? To me it would mean that he gets to be guarded by the worst frontcourt defender on the opposing team (in the Minnesota game, his best moves are against a Minnesota bench player listed at 6'7, 209) and is the guy who has to be left open if push comes to shove. He is clearly better at shooting from the perimeter than finishing inside or creating his own shot, so a player like Ward is helping rather than hurting him.

[doordoor123]

One game seems to have changed alot.

If you mean his 3 point shooting, he's made 7 of 9 3's against my Terps this season.

And scouts realize who he's playing with on his front court - Ward has to play inside and is very effective there, and Miles is a 230 lb 3 who would be the strongest guy on some opposing college teams. Even their backup forwards are physically imposing. JJJ would be used differently on a typical college team. Not to mention - he's 18 and hasn't fully matured on or off the court.

That’s the thing, he’s so young and already has a big role in the NBA even if he still needs to gain weight. I think he’s going to be a really good player and I don’t doubt he’s a good kid who will be able to learn. Even from high school to college hes improved. But I also really like 6 other prospects in the same way. To me the difference is need/fit, if a team wants a different kind of role or a different kind of player and if a team wants a project or a player ready away. Jackson is ready now to contribute, but he’s not going to be a scorer and he’s not going to be a starter. The only chance he’ll have to start is if he goes to a rebuilding team in the way that someone like Jarrett Allen or John Collins is starting. In reality there are too many big strong starters that will destroy someone as thin as he is right now. Someone like Bamba makes more sense to me in terms of starting right away because he has the width and length. He’ll get out-muscled, but he at least has the length to make up for it.

[Ruzious]

One game seems to have changed alot.

If you mean his 3 point shooting, he's made 7 of 9 3's against my Terps this season.

And scouts realize who he's playing with on his front court - Ward has to play inside and is very effective there, and Miles is a 230 lb 3 who would be the strongest guy on some opposing college teams. Even their backup forwards are physically imposing. JJJ would be used differently on a typical college team. Not to mention - he's 18 and hasn't fully matured on or off the court.

That’s the thing, he’s so young and already has a big role in the NBA even if he still needs to gain weight. I think he’s going to be a really good player and I don’t doubt he’s a good kid who will be able to learn. Even from high school to college hes improved. But I also really like 6 other prospects in the same way. To me the difference is need/fit, if a team wants a different kind of role or a different kind of player and if a team wants a project or a player ready away. Jackson is ready now to contribute, but he’s not going to be a scorer and he’s not going to be a starter. The only chance he’ll have to start is if he goes to a rebuilding team in the way that someone like Jarrett Allen or John Collins is starting. In reality there are too many big strong starters that will destroy someone as thin as he is right now. Someone like Bamba makes more sense to me in terms of starting right away because he has the width and length. He’ll get out-muscled, but he at least has the length to make up for it.

It's kinda like the Anthony Davis situation when he was at Kentucky. He was slim, but you could see he had the frame to hold a lot more weight - and now he's up to just over 250 lbs. I figure both JJJ and Bamba will also get up to 250 in the NBA. As long as they work hard in the gym, that'll be a strong 250. Even as rookies, they should have enough weight on them to battle with NBA centers, imo. Allen's actually playing real well as a rookie - I think he could start on some playoff teams like the Bucks and Wizards, and I'm not sure Collins is ever going to be a player who defends well.

[yoyoboy]

One game seems to have changed alot.

If you mean his 3 point shooting, he's made 7 of 9 3's against my Terps this season.

And scouts realize who he's playing with on his front court - Ward has to play inside and is very effective there, and Miles is a 230 lb 3 who would be the strongest guy on some opposing college teams. Even their backup forwards are physically imposing. JJJ would be used differently on a typical college team. Not to mention - he's 18 and hasn't fully matured on or off the court.

That’s the thing, he’s so young and already has a big role in the NBA even if he still needs to gain weight. I think he’s going to be a really good player and I don’t doubt he’s a good kid who will be able to learn. Even from high school to college hes improved. But I also really like 6 other prospects in the same way. To me the difference is need/fit, if a team wants a different kind of role or a different kind of player and if a team wants a project or a player ready away. Jackson is ready now to contribute, but he’s not going to be a scorer and he’s not going to be a starter. The only chance he’ll have to start is if he goes to a rebuilding team in the way that someone like Jarrett Allen or John Collins is starting. In reality there are too many big strong starters that will destroy someone as thin as he is right now. Someone like Bamba makes more sense to me in terms of starting right away because he has the width and length. He’ll get out-muscled, but he at least has the length to make up for it.

Jackson Jr could honestly start for us right now lol.

[doordoor123]

If you mean his 3 point shooting, he's made 7 of 9 3's against my Terps this season.

And scouts realize who he's playing with on his front court - Ward has to play inside and is very effective there, and Miles is a 230 lb 3 who would be the strongest guy on some opposing college teams. Even their backup forwards are physically imposing. JJJ would be used differently on a typical college team. Not to mention - he's 18 and hasn't fully matured on or off the court.

That’s the thing, he’s so young and already has a big role in the NBA even if he still needs to gain weight. I think he’s going to be a really good player and I don’t doubt he’s a good kid who will be able to learn. Even from high school to college hes improved. But I also really like 6 other prospects in the same way. To me the difference is need/fit, if a team wants a different kind of role or a different kind of player and if a team wants a project or a player ready away. Jackson is ready now to contribute, but he’s not going to be a scorer and he’s not going to be a starter. The only chance he’ll have to start is if he goes to a rebuilding team in the way that someone like Jarrett Allen or John Collins is starting. In reality there are too many big strong starters that will destroy someone as thin as he is right now. Someone like Bamba makes more sense to me in terms of starting right away because he has the width and length. He’ll get out-muscled, but he at least has the length to make up for it.

Jackson Jr could honestly start for us right now lol.

That’s because you have LeBron James who is pretty much the most skilled athletic 5 (or whatever position he wants) in the NBA. When you have LeBron you can afford to put Kevin Love at the 5.

[yoyoboy]

That’s the thing, he’s so young and already has a big role in the NBA even if he still needs to gain weight. I think he’s going to be a really good player and I don’t doubt he’s a good kid who will be able to learn. Even from high school to college hes improved. But I also really like 6 other prospects in the same way. To me the difference is need/fit, if a team wants a different kind of role or a different kind of player and if a team wants a project or a player ready away. Jackson is ready now to contribute, but he’s not going to be a scorer and he’s not going to be a starter. The only chance he’ll have to start is if he goes to a rebuilding team in the way that someone like Jarrett Allen or John Collins is starting. In reality there are too many big strong starters that will destroy someone as thin as he is right now. Someone like Bamba makes more sense to me in terms of starting right away because he has the width and length. He’ll get out-muscled, but he at least has the length to make up for it.

Jackson Jr could honestly start for us right now lol.

That’s because you have LeBron James who is pretty much the most skilled athletic 5 (or whatever position he wants) in the NBA. When you have LeBron you can afford to put Kevin Love at the 5.

Very true, but also let's not underestimate how useless Tristan has been.

[doordoor123]

Jackson Jr could honestly start for us right now lol.

That’s because you have LeBron James who is pretty much the most skilled athletic 5 (or whatever position he wants) in the NBA. When you have LeBron you can afford to put Kevin Love at the 5.

Very true, but also let's not underestimate how useless Tristan has been.

Yeah he’s been bad. But recently (since the trade) hes been better. Still, he just doesn’t have the same drive.
Kardashian curse.

[The-Power]

In reality there are too many big strong starters that will destroy someone as thin as he is right now.

He's listed at 240 lbs and clearly willing to play physical. Sure, there will be situations when a more experienced player who has fully grown into his body will take advantage of him being a Rookie big – but he's more ready physically than many other bigs out of the draft. Also, Jackson could easily start at the 4 which is where I see him at the start of his career – with the ability to slide over to the 5 once teams size down. Not many 4's in this league who would ‘destroy him‘ physically. But he's a top prospect in this draft and he will be treated as such, i.e. throw him in there and let him learn through mistakes.

[Duke4life831]

In reality there are too many big strong starters that will destroy someone as thin as he is right now.

He's listed at 240 lbs and clearly willing to play physical. Sure, there will be situations when a more experienced player who has fully grown into his body will take advantage of him being a Rookie big – but he's more ready physically than many other bigs out of the draft. Also, Jackson could easily start at the 4 which is where I see him at the start of his career – with the ability to slide over to the 5 once teams size down. Not many 4's in this league who would ‘destroy him‘ physically. But he's a top prospect in this draft and he will be treated as such, i.e. throw him in there and let him learn through mistakes.

Ya I dont think his strength is going to be an issue at all. Ya will there probably be an embarrassing highlight here and there when he goes up against a Drummond or Adams? Probably. I can see him kind of getting ragged dolled but ya there arent that many guys in the league that are known for their strength and I think Jackson has a solid build and is going to put on muscle pretty easily.

[The-Power]

In reality there are too many big strong starters that will destroy someone as thin as he is right now.

He's listed at 240 lbs and clearly willing to play physical. Sure, there will be situations when a more experienced player who has fully grown into his body will take advantage of him being a Rookie big – but he's more ready physically than many other bigs out of the draft. Also, Jackson could easily start at the 4 which is where I see him at the start of his career – with the ability to slide over to the 5 once teams size down. Not many 4's in this league who would ‘destroy him‘ physically. But he's a top prospect in this draft and he will be treated as such, i.e. throw him in there and let him learn through mistakes.

Ya I dont think his strength is going to be an issue at all. Ya will there probably be an embarrassing highlight here and there when he goes up against a Drummond or Adams? Probably. I can see him kind of getting ragged dolled but ya there arent that many guys in the league that are known for their strength and I think Jackson has a solid build and is going to put on muscle pretty easily.

I'd also add that when you have Rookie Jackson going up against Drummond and Adams – assuming we're not talking about on switches here – then you're either doing something wrong or you're trying to force them out of the paint on defense fully aware that Jackson can't handle them physically at this point in his career. As I wrote, to me he's a starter at the 4 and a 5 when teams size down, not someone you start at the 5 when the big guys are on the floor and teams use the first quarter to give them some touches.

[Duke4life831]

He's listed at 240 lbs and clearly willing to play physical. Sure, there will be situations when a more experienced player who has fully grown into his body will take advantage of him being a Rookie big – but he's more ready physically than many other bigs out of the draft. Also, Jackson could easily start at the 4 which is where I see him at the start of his career – with the ability to slide over to the 5 once teams size down. Not many 4's in this league who would ‘destroy him‘ physically. But he's a top prospect in this draft and he will be treated as such, i.e. throw him in there and let him learn through mistakes.

Ya I dont think his strength is going to be an issue at all. Ya will there probably be an embarrassing highlight here and there when he goes up against a Drummond or Adams? Probably. I can see him kind of getting ragged dolled but ya there arent that many guys in the league that are known for their strength and I think Jackson has a solid build and is going to put on muscle pretty easily.

I'd also add that when you have Rookie Jackson going up against Drummond and Adams – assuming we're not talking about on switches here – then you're either doing something wrong or you're trying to force them out of the paint on defense fully aware that Jackson can't handle them physically at this point in his career. As I wrote, to me he's a starter at the 4 and a 5 when teams size down, not someone you start at the 5 when the big guys are on the floor and teams use the first quarter to give them some touches.

Agreed 100% on all of this. I know its not the most popular opinion and I dont say this as a negative. But I think hes going to be a prime Serge Ibaka but with a 3pt shot instead of the mid range. I think hes going to get you around 18 points, 7-9 boards and 2-2.5 blocks. He's continue to rise up my boards, I still dont see a guy that is going to be able to create his shot all that consistently, but I think hes going to be a terror in the pick n pop or hanging out in the corner.