Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame
Age: 21, Height: 6’2″, Weight: 194 lbs.
Current Prospect Rankings–DraftExpress: 17, NBADraft.net: 38, CBS Sports: 27
Last Season: 35.9 Min,15.8 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 4.7 Ast, 1.2 Stl, .451 FG%, .331 3PT%, .813 FT%, 21.0 PER
Walt Perrin’s Post-Workout Comments: “Good, strong–he was able to get to the basket pretty well. I know he shot it well during drills; three-point shooting was a little above average. So he played well.”
Spencer Wixom Analysis–
The Notre Dame junior is often forgotten in this class because of some other attractive prospects at the position. However, Jackson is very intriguing.
The 21-year old will likely be able to make an impact from day one in the league as a backup and be able to develop into a starter in the right situation. He is athletic, quick and has a good first step. Jackson logged the fourth highest max vert in combine history with 43.5 inches.
Offensively, Jackson is a well-rounded player. He has a high basketball knowledge, makes good decisions and is a good passer. Though he had a down season from beyond the arc, Jackson is a pretty good shooter.
Demetrius is not an elite defender, but he will be above average at the next level.
Jackson has some work to do on his handle. At six-foot-one, he is only average for point guards these days. Demetrius is a streaky shooter and will need to learn to be more consistent. Jackson does need to learn to be more creative as a passer. He also has the tendency to pick up his dribble too early.
Jackson has a fairly safe floor, but his ceiling is not as high as other point guards in this draft, i.e. Baldwin, Murray or Dunn. Demetrius plays similar to Reggie Jackson in Detroit. I don’t think he will ever be as good as Reggie Jackson, but he could get close if all goes right for him.
I don’t see the Jazz drafting Jackson. They already have three small point guards on their roster, and while Jackson would likely be better than all of them, they seem to want big guards. If the Jazz were to take Jackson I believe it would be in a scenario where they trade down.
Next: Malachi Richardson