There's no denying Andre Jackson Jr.'s defensive potential, which was on full display throughout the Milwaukee Bucks' 2024-25 campaign before he got benched. If Jackson wants to cement his spot in the rotation, though, he must find a way to improve his offensive output, especially close to the hoop, where he struggled mightily this past season.
The Bucks need Jackson to connect more often closer to the basket
Despite his success at getting in the paint, Jackson struggled to connect when he wasn't right at the rim far too often. Per NBA.com/stats, Jackson shot just 8-of-33 (24.2 percent) on his shot attempts in the paint outside of the restricted area this past regular season. That's far too many points left off the board that could have helped this Milwaukee Bucks team.
Jackson has to find a way to become an offensive threat when he's on the court. He's a respectable perimeter shooter in terms of percentage, shooting 38.5 percent from deep for his young career, but he's only averaging one attempt in that span. If he can up those attempts while keeping that success rate consistent while also connecting in the paint, his offensive output will take a leap.
Part of the problem is confidence, which Jackson lacks at times. Sure, he was a second-year player thrown into the fire as a starter very early in the year last season, which likely had an impact. There were countless possessions where he clearly wasn't sure whether or not to put the shot up or kick it out to a teammate, resulting in some last-second bad shots outside of the restricted area.
It was the offensive lapses that got Andre Jackson Jr. benched last season. Despite his strong play as an energizer defensively and on the glass, Doc Rivers clearly came to the conclusion that, due to the wing's lack of presence offensively, it was too difficult to rely on him. The youngster must use this as fuel to improve this offseason and cement his spot in the rotation again next season.
Paired with his near All-Defense level play on the opposite end of the floor, Jackson's ceiling could go through the roof if he finds his stride on the offensive side of things. The Milwaukee Bucks don't have much success with their draft picks in recent memory, but Andre Jackson Jr. could break the curse if he comes back with a vengeance offensively (especially in the paint) next season.
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