Justin Jackson: The missing piece to the crumbling puzzle?
Per Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, Justin Jackson will work out for the Detroit Pistons. Is he the missing piece?
Justin Jackson is a tantalizing 6’8″ forward with copious amounts of upside. But, with upside comes risk. For the Detroit Pistons, risk-reward scenarios are at an all time high. Stuck in the middle between a playoff contender and the rebuilding phase, the Pistons are attacking every high-risk high-reward situation imaginable. Will Justin Jackson be that next risk?
The Pistons are currently jammed at the forward position with Tobias Harris, Marcus Morris, and Stanley Johnson to name a few. That does not mean Detroit will be discouraged from bringing aboard another forward of Jackson’s skill set.
In his final year at North Carolina, Jackson put up 18.3 points per game and saw his three point percentage skyrocket from 29.2 percent in 2015-2016 to 37 percent in his final year.
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His size as a forward also draws him to Detroit, being able to switch from small forward to power forward with ease.
It is up for debate if Jackson would fit well with the Pistons’ core of forwards. Jackson would end up as a rotational piece in his first year, battling it out with Stanley Johnson for minutes. A second unit group of Johnson and Jackson could potentially become quite deadly.
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Stanley Johnson has the athletic and defensive ability, while Justin Jackson adds the scoring threat. A future of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Stanley Johnson, and Justin Jackson looks bright.
Justin Jackson finds himself in an odd spot. He is good enough to break into the lottery, but it is up in the air how deep he will fall. He even has the potential to fall out of the lottery all together.
Jackson also carries with him the rare experience of winning an NCAA championship. With limited playoff exposure attached to the Pistons, Jackson can boost them in that area. He knows how to step it up in crunch time, something Detroit is desperately missing.
Next: Will Detroit trade their pick?
Detroit finds themselves in a peculiar situation. The twelfth pick is still in the lottery, but how much talent can they actually get out of it? Enough to fret over, or should they look elsewhere to help build the crippling franchise? All in all, Justin Jackson would be a high risk selection, with a potential high reward.