Andre Jackson Jr.: UConn's Swiss Army Knife
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En route to their first Final Four bid since 2014, UConn has left opponents in the dust. Leading up to Saturday's game against Miami, they had notched every win by at least a margin of 15 points. Adama Sango’s interior dominance and Jodan Hawkins’ perimeter marksmanship have been instrumental to the Huskies' success. Still, it’s impossible to tell the story of their run without a focus on their Swiss Army Knife: Andre Jackson Jr.
Jackson Jr.’s game is defined by his physical attributes and basketball genius. He stands at 6-foot-6 and boasts a lanky wingspan. Additionally, the versatile wing possesses great footspeed and impressive bounce. Combine this with his vision, anticipation, and understanding of fundamentals, and he is quite the all-around player.
For one, Jackson Jr. thrives defensively. He mixes on-ball and off-ball responsibilities to be a versatile force to be reckoned with on that side of the ball. At the point of attack, he can string together stops on players of varying sizes while at the point-of-attack, and can use his wingspan and rotational awareness to wreak havoc as a help defender.
Offensively, Jackson Jr. is extremely unique, but still very impactful at this level. On this end, his passing ability reigns supreme. The junior has averaged 4.7 assists per game this season, including just over seven per contest during the NCAA tournament. He is adept at crafting passing windows, and his masterful court mapping and anticipation get the rest of the job done. The New York native initiates a lot of offense for UConn, and is also often tasked with being their primary decision-maker in the short roll. However, he does much of his facilitating work in transition, where he can put the most pressure on defenses with his downhill attacking in the open court.
Additionally, Jackson just has a nose for making winning plays. He’s averaged two offensive rebounds per game this season and frequently makes mind-blowing abstract plays like this:
His complete lack of shooting touch (28.4% from deep) or scoring prowess in general (6.8 points per game) make his projection at the next level a bit murky, but he really has the chance to use the big stage of the Final Four to showcase his all-around impact and stake his claim as a first-round prospect.
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