Count me in the minority of people that think JJJ has a fairly low ceiling. I mainly see him as a pretty good starter. At best, he looks like a young Ibaka to me.
His rebounding numbers at MSU and in Memphis have not been good. His block rate is a bit lower than I thought would be. His offensive game is not refined. He has little feel. He's a good shooter and can sometimes get a little hookshot over his left shoulder, but other than that, he really isn't a scorer. On top of that, his form restricts his ability to develop one-dribble pullups, fade aways, or any of the other shots that make a guy hard to stop.
He's fine. Really. But this isn't a trade that makes a ton of sense for anyone.
For a guy who goes by the nickname ''DefenseWinsChamps'', you don't seem to value elite defensive potential all that much.
The way I see it, JJJ is the best young* big man not named Zion.
*still on his first contract
If there was a re-draft of last year's class, I'd probably take him at #2.
1. Luka
2. JJJ
3. probably SGA
I'm super high on all 3 of those guys. Looking back, I guess we were a bit unlucky to end up with #3 and #1 in somehow weak drafts. Don't get me wrong, Danny did a terrific job in drafting Brown-Tatum (especially the trade down for Tatum was a masterpiece). I blame the draft gods, not Danny.
In retrospect, the 2018 draft looks great. There are also guys like Ayton, Trae Young, Bagley, Carter Jr., even Mo Bamba who had a slow start but the potential is still there based on his elite physical tools.
I do value defense, but I'm not as high on his defensive potential as some. His fouls are a real problem and he doesn't rebound at a high level. Good defensive anchors can challenge without fouling and finish possessions on the boards.
He's a good player, but I don't see the franchise upside. I think he will be a really good defender and a very helpful player. He could even be a player on a championship team. I just worry a bit about him.
After all was said and done, having only watched a little of both players last year, I actually liked Ayton's upside on defense more than Jackson's. I know that goes contrary to the narrative of both players, and it was surprising to me as I watched them. I like Jarrett Allen's and Wendell Carter's defensive potential more too.