Which NBA Draft Prospects Impressed During the Big Ten Tournament?
Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State, C
Height: 6’11” | Weight: 240 | Year: Freshman | Age: 19
Draft Projection: Top Seven
Jackson, who has played his way into teams’ conversations as a top-five pick, was mostly absent throughout. His poor showing does serve as a reminder that he’s far from ready to contribute in the NBA on a consistent basis. He will be one of the youngest players in the draft and has a number of correctable habits that tie into the maturity factor. He can disappear for stretches of the game as a scorer, rebounder and shot-contester, sometimes forces bad takes when pressing and displayed visible frustration with both game flow and officiating at times. His tools and versatility are terrific and will keep him among the first six or seven players drafted.
Jackson was notably bad Friday against Wisconsin, managing just 15 minutes before fouling out and struggling to involve himself in the game flow in any regard. He was a bit more involved statistically in the loss to Michigan, but found himself swarmed by defenders and unable to finish creatively in crowds and also struggled shooting from the perimeter. He has flashes of brilliance and makes few egregious or mental mistakes, but needs to pack on some more muscle to be able to push opponents on the interior and create space for himself to make plays. He can make threes, but doesn’t get great rotation on his ball and needs to keep working on his consistency. He’s an above-average athlete but not vertically explosive, and physical maturity should help split the difference. There’s still a lot to love about Jackson’s soft touch with both hands, shooting ability, impressive wingspan and ability to defend in space, but there’s some variance of opinion around the league when it comes to his actual star potential.
He remains a hot draft commodity despite the struggles.
Miles Bridges, Michigan State, F
Height: 6’7” | Weight: 225 | Year: Sophomore | Age: 19
Draft Projection: Lottery to Mid First
Bridges has definitely shown improvement in the back half of the season and remains in the late lottery mix despite many teams feeling like they’ve figured him out as a player. He had positive flashes in the tournament, making three threes in each game and doing a nice job on the glass. Bridges’ athletic ability pops, and he’s established himself as a threat on one-dribble pull-ups and shooting threes at the top of the arc. Against Michigan, [colorpurple]he had success using his thick lower body to generate easy looks on the left block against weaker defenders[/color], a nice potential long-term offensive wrinkle.
The fundamental concerns with Bridges remain the same: his game is paradoxical. He’s best suited as a small-ball four-man, but has length that plays better at shooting guard. His upper body strength and brute athleticism suggest he should attack the basket aggressively, but a limited capacity to handle the ball renders him primarily a jump shooter (he averages a shockingly low 3.3 free throw attempts per game). In the NBA, you’re probably asking him to be a high-level glue guy and supporting player, but in reality, Bridges is a finesse scorer who hasn’t shown a ton of commitment to defending or hustling at a high level. He has some NBA-caliber tools, but drafting him will mean buying in on his willingness to adapt.
