In small bursts, the Milwaukee Bucks' youth is showing legitimate potential

Andre Jackson Jr. might be a hidden gem for the Milwaukee Bucks

In what was expected to be a quiet 2023 NBA Draft, the Bucks spiced things up by trading up to get the 36th overall pick from the Orlando Magic. With it, they selected Andre Jackson Jr. from UConn. The appeal with Jackson was immediately clear, as he served as a jack-of-all-trades in college and could certainly do the same in the association.

It's been an odd season for Jackson. He's averaging 11 minutes across 34 appearances, and it's mainly due to him being in and out of the rotation. It feels like he's either playing a ton or very little on a game-to-game basis. However, when he does play, the rookie often flashes his skills.

Jackson, a 6-foot-6 wing, has checked many boxes for Milwaukee. On defense, he's used his combo of length and athleticism to hound whoever he is guarding. On offense, he hasn't put up the flashiest numbers, but one welcoming area has been his outside shooting. He's at 39.4 percent for the season, which is not bad for a player who wasn't much of a shooter in college.

At 22-years-old and a rookie, there have been some growing pains for Jackson early. One of the big reasons why he has not played more is because he is prone to foul. It's one of the biggest areas of his game that he must improve if he truly wants to be a part of the rotation for good. However, even with that, he's still caught plenty of praise, and rightfully so.

Jackson is averaging 14.4 minutes per game in January, the most he's seen in any month this season. With the team trying to find their stride on defense, it seems like Coach Griffin is rightfully using one of his most athletic and energy-filled wings. It wouldn't be overly surprising if Jackson's minutes as the season went on continued to increase.

If he keeps improving, he could end up being the young, athletic wing this team has longed for.