Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the most interesting and compelling players in this draft, and he has been mocked from the top three to towards the 7-10 range. Jackson Jr. is not a player who will be a 20 point per game scorer in the NBA, and his lack of being able to produce for the team by scoring will scare people from seeing him being a top prospect. However what Jackson Jr. contributes in all facets of the game makes him an ideal player for the NBA today, and someone who can be a key cog for a championship team. Jaren can provide similar contributions as two-time NBA champion and Michigan State alum Draymond Green. In 2016-17, Draymond led the league in Defensive Box/Plus Minus,and had the sixteenth highest Value Over Replacement Player, helping the Warriors win another championship. Looking at Jackson Jr., if he can provide similar value to Green he will be a great draft pick, and the numbers from Michigan State suggest that he can.

The Stats:

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Strengths:

Both Draymond and Jaren Jackson Jr. played under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, but the big difference is that Green played all four years, while Jackson Jr. is a one-and-done freshman. We can see a lot of similarities between the two players though, and it reflects well on Jackson Jr.’s NBA potential. Green’s strongest aspect of his games is his defense, and the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year looks similar to Jaren Jackson Jr. in college. Jackson stands 6’11 and weighs 240 pounds, while Green is about 6’7 and weighs 230 pounds. However, Jackson is extremely quick for his size, allowing him to guard PFs and Cs, while being able to rotate and guard players on the perimeter. Green is a more versatile defender, but even in Green’s senior season, at age 21, he posted a BLK% of 3.3, and his highest BLK% at MSU was 4.1%. At 18 Jackson averaged three blocks on a BLK% of 14.3%, and with his reach and athleticism should be able to continue to block shots in the NBA. While Green is an undersized power forward, Jackson could be utilized as a center and this would allow him to roam the paint looking for blocks.

In the modern NBA, shooting is the most important skill to have and Jackson shows plenty of promise in this area. He shot .396% from three this year on three attempts a game, better than any of Draymond’s four college years. Draymond has been a 34% NBA three-point shooter, and we can expect Jackson Jr. to shoot even better than that. Free Throw Percentage is the biggest indicator of shooting ability, and Jaren shot 80% on almost four attempts a game. Teams should be excited that Jackson can be so versatile on offense while being an All-NBA caliber player on defense. Jackson also shot .596% on two-point attempts this year, better than Green ever did.

Weaknesses:

Jackson Jr. would be playing much more center in the NBA then Green does right now, and he is currently a little bit weak to efficiently play center. This shows itself in his rebounding numbers as his 15.0% Total Rebounding Percentage is quite low for a player like Jaren. Draymond never dipped below 16.6%, even with the 4-inch height difference. Jackson will need to get stronger during the first few years of his NBA career, but Jackson is still eighteen years old, and will not turn nineteen until September.

Conclusion:

Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the youngest prospects in the draft, and someone who can help a team reach its potential to the maximum. He is one of the best defensive prospects in the draft, and whoever selects him will be getting a great player for years to come. Jaren Jackson Jr. should be in Defensive Player of the Year conversations very soon, and his impact on the game will be felt.