Shortly into the 2024-25 NBA season, Milwaukee Bucks sophomore wing Andre Jackson Jr. earned the opportunity of a lifetime.
With Gary Trent Jr. struggling, Jackson was promoted into the starting lineup in his place. The young wing was given an opportunity to showcase his worth, and the potential was there. Jackson was the Bucks' main defender some nights, taking on the toughest assignments and infusing some needed energy into the starting five.
Things were trending up for Jackson, but in the blink of an eye, he fell out of Doc Rivers' favor right around the NBA All-Star break. Not only did the guard end up losing his starting spot, but he wasn't in the rotation much after that. He logged just five minutes in Milwaukee's first-round defeat against the Indiana Pacers. What was the reason? It was clearly his lack of offense mixed with foul trouble.
Bucks' Andre Jackson Jr. must work on his offensive game
In 43 starts this season, Jackson averaged just 4.3 points and 1.5 assists per contest. His efficiency was solid, as he shot 47.7 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from three, but he wasn't taking a hefty amount of shots. Opposing defenses often ignored him, and it didn't help that Jackson was too passive with the ball in his hands often, putting more pressure on Milwaukee's stars.
Jackson game be a game-changer any given night with his defense, but if he truly wants to break into the rotation for good, he needs to up his offensive production. That starts with getting up more shots from downtown. He shoots a tremendous 38.5 percent from deep for his career, but the attempts are low, as he's averaging just one try per game. He needs to get up a few more and hit them at that rate.
The youngster doesn't just have to be an outside shooter, as he can also lurk in the dunker area and attack the hoop with authority to put points on the board. However he decides to do it, Jackson must become a more reliable scorer if he wants to be featured more. It also certainly wouldn't hurt if he took on a bigger role as a facilitator, which he has also shown he can do for the Milwaukee Bucks.
At 23, Andre Jackson Jr. is still young. He has plenty of room to develop. He must use losing his starting spot as motivation heading into the offseason, where he will have a clear goal in mind.
If the youngster can indeed improve his output offensively while also being a stout defender and stellar rebounder, he could cement himself as a Swiss Army Knife for this team. Of course, cutting back on the personal fouls would help as well, but the uptick in offense should be the main focus.
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