North Carolina Tar Heels: Justin Jackson Still Undecided
The North Carolina Tar Heels’ Justin Jackson is still evaluating his draft prospects at the NBA Draft Combine.
For the North Carolina Tar Heels, the NBA Draft Combine is an important time. Former players will see their professional destinies affected by the workouts, games, and interviews. Coach Roy Williams is even there to support his players. However for one Tar Heel it is different, it is a process for figuring out what to do with his next year of basketball. That player is Justin Jackson.
Jackson is trying to use the NBA’s looser draft rules to see what kind of work he really needs to do and figure if he is currently a NBA first round draft pick. Jackson is 6’8” (in shoes) and has a pro frame as long as you don’t want him to go battle in the post a lot. He has a good feel for offense as a passer and some variety of shots. He however does not yet have the accuracy from deep that teams want in a shooting guard or small forward player.
That 28% from the college three line should be enough to keep pro teams away this year, but Jackson’s decision may not be so clear cut as some of us would like to believe. Jackson was interviewed by several teams including the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are notable because they have no second round pick and would only be considering Jackson at number twenty-two in the first round.
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Last year when Tyus Jones was exploring the draft, I said that a player needed a top 20 draft grade to stay in the pool as an underclassman. I still think that holds true. So the Hornets or teams around them talking to Jackson would not be good enough for me. Someone would have to promise above that 20th pick or there is no guarantee of first round money.
Mock drafts have not bought into Jackson’s exploration as none of the ones that I have seen have shown him getting taken in the first or second round. It is possible that they are waiting for him to stay in before they slot him in where his true value lies.
As for whether he will stay in, Jackson is sitting firmly on the fence. It is still early yet and he has until May 25 before he makes a final decision.