NBA Draft Board: Kentucky’s Isaiah Jackson
In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder own two picks just outside the lottery at No. 16 and No. 18 overall. One of the prospects who could fall in that range is Isaiah Jackson who most recently played at Kentucky.
Profile:
Jackson is a 6-foot-10 forward who is still just 19 years old. While he lacks a complete offensive game, he’s got the length and athleticism to make an impact on both ends of the floor at the next level.
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Strengths:
While he may not be elite at any one thing, Jackson can impact the game in a variety of ways, many of which don’t show up on the stat sheet. He blocked 2.6 shots per game in his lone season at Kentucky, showing the defensive upside that NBA teams crave at forward.
Jackson’s long wingspan will help at both ends of the court, as he clogs passing lanes while also being a serviceable lob threat on offense. For teams that like playing fast, Jackson could provide value as a rim-runner and effective big in transition.
Weaknesses:
Jackson’s offensive game still needs a lot of work, as athleticism can only get him so far. Not only does he need to polish his interior game, but his outside shot is non-existent. Jackson shot only two 3-pointers in college, missing both.
He’ll also need to gain weight to have success at the next level, weighing just over 200 points currently. Especially with the foul trouble Jackson got into in college, defending larger NBA bigs could be an issue early on.
