NBA Draft 2017 Prospect Watch: Justin Jackson

Weaknesses

While it’s entirely possible Jackson’s shooting could fall off a cliff when he lands in the NBA, there’s another concern that could have much more of a far-reaching impact on various facets of his game.

Jackson has a very slight frame, making him look particularly lanky out on the court. Against the bigger and stronger athletes of the professional game, this could easily be exploited.

Weighing only 201lbs at the Draft Combine, Jackson could struggle to leverage many of his physical attributes due to a strength differential.

For example, a 6’8″ forward with a near seven-foot wingspan seems like the perfect switching, defensive weapon for the modern NBA, yet Jackson would easily be bullied and backed down into the post against power forwards, and would even give up 30-50 pounds to many of the league’s best small forwards.

There’s always a possibility of a player putting on muscle and bulking up with the help of NBA trainers and dieticians, but at 22 years of age with little progress in that department up until now, there’s a chance that Jackson may just be naturally on the skinny side.

Draft Express’ tracker of measurements over the years of Jackson attending camps, workouts and combines makes for interesting reading, showing Jackson now at the exact same weight he posted for USA Basketball way back in 2013.

On offense, this could seep into a driving game that is already unreliable due to Jackson’s shaky handle, and make for real struggles for the Houston native whenever he drives in to contact in the paint.