I recently suggested that the Detroit Pistons may have found their sixth man of the future in combo guard Frank Jackson, who has had a solid second half of the season and is now averaging nearly double-digits.
He’s been even better since having a more defined role, averaging 14.6 points per game off the bench while shooting over 41 percent from long range over his last ten games.
Of course, there are always going to be those who disagree, which is fine, as Frank Jackson has not proven it over a whole season and is doing this on a team that isn’t very good.
If frank jackson is the sixth man of the future throw the whole organization away
— g (@GriffO_62) May 3, 2021
Old GriffO_62 here is ready to toss the organization away, which seems a bit dramatic, but hey, what is Twitter for if not for gross overstatements and confident hot takes?
Frank Jackson may not be there yet, but he is taking a similar path to Jordan Clarkson, who is the frontrunner for Sixth Man of the Year on the team with the best record in the NBA.
Can Frank Jackson eventually make a similar impact?
Detroit Pistons: Jordan Clarkson’s path to Sixth Man of the Year
Clarkson is 28-years-old and averaging 17.4 points per game off the Utah Jazz bench, which has him in line for the 6th Man of the Year award.
But when he was drafted, there is no way anyone thought he would hit these lofty heights. Clarkson was drafted 46th overall by the Wizards then almost immediately traded to the Lakers, where he spent a big chunk of his first season in the G-League (then the unfortunately named D-league).
He didn’t even come into the NBA until he was 22-years-old, and even though he was up and down, averaged 11.9 points per game in his rookie season.
Clarkson has kept improving ever since, cementing himself as one of the best “instant offense” scorers off the bench in the NBA, culminating with this season he is having for the Jazz as a key part of their offense.
It was a long road but Clarkson is now one of the best bench players in the NBA after being drafted in the 2nd round, which is a pretty amazing accomplishment.
Detroit Pistons: Can Frank Jackson emulate Clarkson?
Jackson and Clarkson are a similar size, though Clarkson is a little quicker and Jackson is a little stronger. Jackson was also drafted in the second round, going 31st overall to the Hornets before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for cash.
Both are streaky shooters who can get red-hot and carry and offense for a short time. Jackson is 22-years-old now, in his third season, so he is already ahead of Clarkson in terms of games played.
Their age-22 numbers are very similar, as Jackson is now averaging 9.5 a game, less than Clarkson, but he’s doing it in fewer minutes and with much better shooting stats.
Jackson is shooting 41 percent from the 3-point line, which is higher than Clarkson has ever shot in the NBA, though this season he has morphed into a volume shooter from long range, taking 8.6 attempts.
Jackson’s improved 3-point shooting has raised the ceiling on what he can be, and if he can raise his volume to 7-8 attempts per game, he could make a big leap as a scorer as long as his accuracy stays consistent.
It was a long and hard road for Clarkson, and it will be for Jackson if he ever wants to be an elite bench scorer, but he has shown that he could get there and could be the Detroit Pistons sixth man of the future.