Josh Jackson will be one of the first players taken in June’s NBA draft. The Kansas freshman is showing why scouts love his game during his first NCAA tournament game against UC-Davis on Friday.
Josh Jackson is making NBA teams fall in love at the NCAA tournament
The Kansas freshman is putting on a show during March Madness.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Jackson is simply too big and too fast for a No. 16 seed. They don’t make two-way wings like this in the Big West.
Jackson has been the key to Kansas’ small-ball transformation this season. A nominal wing, Bill Self has played him at the four, put the ball in his hands, and allowed his athleticism and playmaking skills to shine.
Remember: it’s easy to notice big dunks like this, but Jackson is also a supremely skilled passer. If you’re looking for an NBA player comparison, perhaps Andre Iguodala is a good place to start.
Jackson also had this nice little scoop in the first half:
It’s worth noting that this is a return from suspension for Jackson, after Self banned him from the Jayhawks’ Big 12 tournament opener for a “traffic violation.” Jackson was also recently charged with a misdemeanor for damaging a woman’s car, and the new details are ugly.
There are a lot of great freshmen on display in the NCAA tournament on Friday -- Lonzo Ball of UCLA, Malik Monk of Kentucky, Jayson Tatum of Duke, and several others. Jackson is as good as any of them.
Now you know why.
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