Sir'Dom Pointer
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5. The top-10 sleeper
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Jaren Jackson Jr. | Michigan State
It's hard to call a potential top-10 pick on a Final Four contender a sleeper, but Jackson was a late-riser at the high school level, and he has the tools, agility and skill set to work his way into the top half of this list.
Physical comparison: Myles Turner, Dewayne Dedmon
At 6-foot-11 with a 240-pound frame and a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Jackson has some similarities to Myles Turner. Jackson, who turned 18 on Sept. 15, is more fluid than Turner and further along strength-wise at the same age.
Main intrigue: Agility, length and touch
Jackson broke out at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit and wowed NBA scouts as one of the top prospects at the Nike Academy in Los Angeles this summer. He's an excellent fit in the modern NBA, as he can protect the rim and switch on defense while spacing the floor and straight-line driving on offense. He has touch with either hand in the paint and stretch potential, despite a low-release push shot with limited rotation.
Jackson could have a Myles Turner-like shooting trajectory, killing the midrange in the NCAA and eventually becoming a more consistent threat from NBA 3 down the line. He's still a bit of a blank canvas, but NBA scouts are sure to fall in love with his combination of tools, fluidity and budding skill.
Swing skills: Toughness and feel
Although he has made great strides physically, Jackson lacks a degree of toughness you'd like to see in a big who will play a lot of 5 in the NBA. With a rebounds-per-40 average of 10.2 over 32 games in the DraftExpress Database, Jackson has had his struggles on the defensive glass. His feel for the game on both ends is a work in progress. Although fairly skilled, he doesn't provide much in the playmaking department and will have to be able to play read-and-react basketball if he wants to operate more on the perimeter. That said, Jackson is in an excellent position to improve in these areas under the tutelage of Tom Izzo.
Top-10 Picks 6-10 Or Taller, By Year
YEAR#PLAYERS
20173Jonathan Isaac, Lauri Markkanen, Zach Collins
20164Ben Simmons, Marquese Chriss, Jakob Poeltl, Thon Maker
20154Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, Willie Cauley-Stein, Frank Kaminsky
20141Joel Embiid
20133Cody Zeller, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel
20122Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond
20113Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas, Jan Vesely
20104Derrick Favors, DeMarcus Cousins, Ekpe Udoh, Greg Monroe
20093Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill
20081Brook Lopez
20077Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Yi, Brandan Wright, Joakim Noah and Spencer Hawes
20064Andrea Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge, Patrick O'Bryant, Saer Sene
20053Andrew Bogut, Channing Frye, Andrew Bynum
20043Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Rafael Araujo
20033Darko Milicic, Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman
20025Yao Ming, Drew Gooden, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Nene Hilario, Amare stoudemire
20016Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Eddy Curry, Eddie Griffin, Desagana Diop
20003Stromile Swift, Chris Mihm, Joel Przbilla
19992Lamar Odom, Jonathan Bender
19983Michael Olowokandi, Raef Lafrentz, Dirk Nowitzki
19975Tim Duncan, Keith Van Horn, Tony Battie, Tim Thomas, Adonal Foyle
19963Marcus Camby, Lorenzen Wright, Erick Damipier
19954Joe Smith, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Bryant Reeves
19942Sharone Wright, Eric Montross
19932Shawn Bradley, Vin Baker
19924Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, Tom Gugliotta
19913Dikembe Mutombo, Doug Smith, Luc Longley
19902Derrick Coleman, Felton Spencer
19892Danny Ferry, Stacey King
19884Danny Manning, Rik Smits, Charles Smith, Rony Seikaly
19874David Robinson, Olden Polynice, Horace Grant
19865Brad Daugherty, Chris Washburn, William Bedford, Roy Tarpley, Brad Sellers
19854Patrick Ewing, Benoit Benjamin, Jon Koncak, Joe Kleine
19843Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, Mel Turpin
19834Ralph Sampson, Steve Stipanovich, Russell Cross, Thurl Bailey
19821Lasalle Thompson
19811Steve Johnson
19803Joe Barry Carroll, Kevin McHale, Mike Gmins
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Jaren Jackson Jr. | Michigan State
It's hard to call a potential top-10 pick on a Final Four contender a sleeper, but Jackson was a late-riser at the high school level, and he has the tools, agility and skill set to work his way into the top half of this list.
Physical comparison: Myles Turner, Dewayne Dedmon
At 6-foot-11 with a 240-pound frame and a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Jackson has some similarities to Myles Turner. Jackson, who turned 18 on Sept. 15, is more fluid than Turner and further along strength-wise at the same age.
Main intrigue: Agility, length and touch
Jackson broke out at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit and wowed NBA scouts as one of the top prospects at the Nike Academy in Los Angeles this summer. He's an excellent fit in the modern NBA, as he can protect the rim and switch on defense while spacing the floor and straight-line driving on offense. He has touch with either hand in the paint and stretch potential, despite a low-release push shot with limited rotation.
Jackson could have a Myles Turner-like shooting trajectory, killing the midrange in the NCAA and eventually becoming a more consistent threat from NBA 3 down the line. He's still a bit of a blank canvas, but NBA scouts are sure to fall in love with his combination of tools, fluidity and budding skill.
Swing skills: Toughness and feel
Although he has made great strides physically, Jackson lacks a degree of toughness you'd like to see in a big who will play a lot of 5 in the NBA. With a rebounds-per-40 average of 10.2 over 32 games in the DraftExpress Database, Jackson has had his struggles on the defensive glass. His feel for the game on both ends is a work in progress. Although fairly skilled, he doesn't provide much in the playmaking department and will have to be able to play read-and-react basketball if he wants to operate more on the perimeter. That said, Jackson is in an excellent position to improve in these areas under the tutelage of Tom Izzo.
Top-10 Picks 6-10 Or Taller, By Year
YEAR#PLAYERS
20173Jonathan Isaac, Lauri Markkanen, Zach Collins
20164Ben Simmons, Marquese Chriss, Jakob Poeltl, Thon Maker
20154Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, Willie Cauley-Stein, Frank Kaminsky
20141Joel Embiid
20133Cody Zeller, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel
20122Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond
20113Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas, Jan Vesely
20104Derrick Favors, DeMarcus Cousins, Ekpe Udoh, Greg Monroe
20093Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill
20081Brook Lopez
20077Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Yi, Brandan Wright, Joakim Noah and Spencer Hawes
20064Andrea Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge, Patrick O'Bryant, Saer Sene
20053Andrew Bogut, Channing Frye, Andrew Bynum
20043Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, Rafael Araujo
20033Darko Milicic, Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman
20025Yao Ming, Drew Gooden, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Nene Hilario, Amare stoudemire
20016Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Eddy Curry, Eddie Griffin, Desagana Diop
20003Stromile Swift, Chris Mihm, Joel Przbilla
19992Lamar Odom, Jonathan Bender
19983Michael Olowokandi, Raef Lafrentz, Dirk Nowitzki
19975Tim Duncan, Keith Van Horn, Tony Battie, Tim Thomas, Adonal Foyle
19963Marcus Camby, Lorenzen Wright, Erick Damipier
19954Joe Smith, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, Bryant Reeves
19942Sharone Wright, Eric Montross
19932Shawn Bradley, Vin Baker
19924Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, Tom Gugliotta
19913Dikembe Mutombo, Doug Smith, Luc Longley
19902Derrick Coleman, Felton Spencer
19892Danny Ferry, Stacey King
19884Danny Manning, Rik Smits, Charles Smith, Rony Seikaly
19874David Robinson, Olden Polynice, Horace Grant
19865Brad Daugherty, Chris Washburn, William Bedford, Roy Tarpley, Brad Sellers
19854Patrick Ewing, Benoit Benjamin, Jon Koncak, Joe Kleine
19843Hakeem Olajuwon, Sam Bowie, Mel Turpin
19834Ralph Sampson, Steve Stipanovich, Russell Cross, Thurl Bailey
19821Lasalle Thompson
19811Steve Johnson
19803Joe Barry Carroll, Kevin McHale, Mike Gmins