If you’re big and you can move quickly, you can get a lot done as an NBA defender. This is one reason why Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr. is so exciting. Jackson has the height and reach of a center, and the defensive numbers to match. The Spartans became an elite shot-blocking team with him on the floor.
Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr. is everywhere on defense
Grizzlies fans will enjoy watching him defend.
Now, the Grizzlies are hoping he can be the heir apparent to Marc Gasol after they selected him with the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft.
What makes Jackson special is extraordinary agility for his size and experience level. This makes him super useful as a pick-and-roll defender — swift enough to corral a ballhandler who’s lost his defender with a pick, then to recover onto his own man once his teammate recovers.
Jackson has a ton of development still ahead of him, but those physical abilities, combined with excellent timing and a genuinely useful outside shot, made him a highly productive freshman in his minutes at Michigan State, and made him a high lottery pick for Memphis.
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