Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can Andre Jackson Jr. be an impact player?

Andre Jackson Jr., the 36th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, is a rookie point guard and shooting guard for the Milwaukee Bucks who arrived in Wisconsin as part of the team’s draft day haul to shore up its youth movement.

He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies, where he was a three-year starter and averaged a Draymond Green-esque stat line of 6.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game in his final season with the team.

Age: 21 (born November 13, 2001)

Position: Point guard, shooting guard

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 210 lbs

Wingspan: 6’9.75″

Contract: Four years / $7,639,302, per Spotrac

2023-24 Salary: $1,119,563

NBA Experience: N/A

Career college statistics: Six points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists per game on 43.2 percent shooting from the field, 28.1 percent shooting from the 3-point line, and 64.6 percent from the free-throw line.

Just like his fellow draftee Chris Livingston, the wing-sized Jackson is an extremely versatile, glue-guy-type player who can play both on and off the ball in the modern NBA. He is a good passer and ball-handler with out-of-the-gym athleticism on the offensive end while being a stout defender who can guard multiple positions on the opposite end.

Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can Andre Jackson Jr. be an instant impact player?

There’s no mistaking it: with his blend of playmaking, defense, and athleticism, Andre Jackson Jr. has the potential to be an instant impact player for the Milwaukee Bucks. He can also provide depth at both point guard and shooting guard, especially for a Milwaukee Bucks team still missing a clear option to take up tertiary playmaking duties when Jrue Holiday takes to the bench.

If you know anything about Andre, you know that his calling card is defense. Jackson is a tough defender who can guard multiple positions. He has a long wingspan and good lateral quickness, which allows him to stay in front of his opponents. He is also a good rebounder for his size owing to his near-elite athleticism.

Passing and ball-handling is probably his most compelling ability on the offensive end at this stage. For a player of his size and experience, Jackson is an incredibly capable and polished passer and ball-handler. He has good court vision and is able to make plays for his teammates. Fans of the Huskies know this well: at certain points of their season, Jackson was even their starting point guard.

There will be growing pains, to be sure. Hard stop: Jackson needs to develop his scoring consistency. He’s not the best scorer from the perimeter and off the dribble owing to some remarkably clunky shot mechanics, so he will need to limit these attempts in order to be a more efficient scorer.

That’s not to say there won’t be a role for him on this team. To offset his lack of floor spacing ability, Jackson would very easily find his scoring niche by improving his off-ball movement to create easy opportunities for himself and his teammates. He is a good cutter and can create open shots for himself. However, he’ll need to be more active off the ball and look for scoring opportunities.

But it’s really when you put all of these facets of his game together that you realize just how much he can contribute to winning basketball. Think of him as a cross between Draymond Green and Lonzo Ball: he has all of the playmaking and defense of both, both just half of the scoring acumen. To compare him to former Bucks, he’s a much faster Joe Ingles with all of the crafty passing but none of the shot-creation. He even has a bit of a lob threat in him, and his athleticism will surprise a number of fans.

As with all NBA freshmen, Jackson is still very much a raw and developing player who will have to work toward consistency before he gets rotational minutes, but a look at both his statistics and college play shows he has the potential to be a valuable contributor to the Bucks. He can provide depth at both point guard and shooting guard, and he can be a defensive force off the bench.

Andre Jackson Jr. is a young and talented player with a lot of potential. He is a versatile player who can play both on and off the ball, and he is a good defender. He needs to develop his scoring consistency and reduce his turnovers, but he has the potential to be a valuable contributor to the Milwaukee Bucks. He just might be the reason fans realize the team’s current roster was good enough to contend all along.

Stay tuned for more analysis as the Milwaukee Bucks season begins in October.