Is there any Chance?

[mathguy]

Is there any chance Liam hears his name called out tonight?

I know he is certainly ot projected as a first rounder. But the sort of production he had - and as a rim protector too no less! - against quality competition in the SEC is the sort of thing that I feel has to start looking good when you get to the last 10 picks in the draft and you know that you are basically throwing darts at a board and hoping for the best.

If he is undrafted, what then? Is he apt to be invited by some team to their summer league?

[MrMemorial]

I think it depends on the injury situation(s) for teams and their big man/men.

Example: Steven Adams (Memphis Grizz)...they are not saying much about his injury. Robbins would be a good insurance plan if needed.

[UltimateVUFan]

What’s Robbins’ injury situation? I have to think how he fared over his final two seasons of college ball hurt his stock. He’s also somewhat “old” as NBA draft prospects go. I doubt he gets drafted, but could possibly work his way into a roster assuming someone wants to take a chance on him being able to stay healthy.

[AuricGoldfinger]

Unfortunately, I think the NBA has largely turned its back on American collegiate big men in favor of international players.

[MrMemorial]

Undrafted: Robbins, Tshiebwe, Castleton, Edey, Timme, Bediako, Clowney

[MrMemorial]

Unfortunately, I think the NBA has largely turned its back on American collegiate big men in favor of international players.

Surprise draft pick: GREGORY JACKSON II (South Carolina - 6-9, 215)

Surprise first round pick: Ben Sheppard (Belmont - 6' 6", 190)

NBA is a mobile full court game. More and more all the time.

[commadore]

Undrafted: Robbins, Tshiebwe, Castleton, Edey, Timme, Bediako, Clowney

But, but, but, per the sec announcers Tshiebwe and Castleton were supposed to be the second coming for some NBA team.

[MrMemorial]

Undrafted: Robbins, Tshiebwe, Castleton, Edey, Timme, Bediako, Clowney

But, but, but, per the sec announcers Tshiebwe and Castleton were supposed to be the second coming for some NBA team.

What about the Timme and Edey hype?

All those guys and lots more will have to show out in the summer league to make a roster at all. This will be a banner year for the summer league, it will actually be must see TV for college basketball fans, not just NBA fans.

Roster restrictions on how many guys you can have also caused some serious prospects to go undrafted. The Grizzlies actually pretty much threw away a late pick on a guy averaging less then 3ppg in Europe because they can't sign him and use him. They had to declare him a "draft and stash" or whatever the real term is for a guy in Europe who may or may not ever see the light of day in the NBA. They could have used that pick on any of the passed on bigs listed above.

[AuricGoldfinger]

Edey withdrew from the draft about three weeks ago...just so he can go undrafted next year.

[Dorewithaflare]

Liam showed me how great it is have out standing post guy.Man it would been great to have him to watch three or so years. Stay healthy Liam and show them what you got.

[MrMemorial]

The Jackson kid from South Carolina was the #6 ranked h.s. player in the nation? Re-classified and played college ball very young and still is only 18?

https://247sports.com/player/gg-jackson-46103379/

What a steal Memphis got in the mid-second round. Averaged 15 & 6 in college while he should have been still in high school, All_SEC Freshman team.

Best part... dropped 30 on Bruce Pearl's team.

[Jason94]

The Jackson kid from South Carolina was the #6 ranked h.s. player in the nation? Re-classified and played college ball very young and still is only 18?

https://247sports.com/player/gg-jackson-46103379/
What a steal Memphis got in the mid-second round. Averaged 15 & 6 in college while he should have been still in high school, All_SEC Freshman team.

Best part... dropped 30 on Bruce Pearl's team.

It was a reasonable pick to get a high ceiling player, but there is a good amount of development required. Jackson shot very poorly (probably due to his being the only reasonable offensive weapon on a poor team), but 67.7% from the line and 32.4% from three will definitely need to get a whole lot better. That he only made 42% of his shots inside the arc is also something that will have to improve, as scoring inside the arc gets a whole lot tougher in the NBA. Probably the largest sign that he will need to develop a lot is his really low assist rate. A lot of that can be attributed to having teammates unable to score, but even Saben Lee and Scottie Pippen put up strong assist rates with really decimated rosters. If Jackson turns out to be a steal it might be a couple of seasons before we find out.

[MrMemorial]

The Jackson kid from South Carolina was the #6 ranked h.s. player in the nation? Re-classified and played college ball very young and still is only 18?

https://247sports.com/player/gg-jackson-46103379/
What a steal Memphis got in the mid-second round. Averaged 15 & 6 in college while he should have been still in high school, All_SEC Freshman team.

Best part... dropped 30 on Bruce Pearl's team.

It was a reasonable pick to get a high ceiling player, but there is a good amount of development required. Jackson shot very poorly (probably due to his being the only reasonable offensive weapon on a poor team), but 67.7% from the line and 32.4% from three will definitely need to get a whole lot better. That he only made 42% of his shots inside the arc is also something that will have to improve, as scoring inside the arc gets a whole lot tougher in the NBA. Probably the largest sign that he will need to develop a lot is his really low assist rate. A lot of that can be attributed to having teammates unable to score, but even Saben Lee and Scottie Pippen put up strong assist rates with really decimated rosters. If Jackson turns out to be a steal it might be a couple of seasons before we find out.

Kobe Bryant wasn't great his first couple of years in the NBA at a very young age either. Jackson does have major potential but it will take a couple of years to get there, like Kobe. Very low risk at pick 45. If he washes out, not much lost. If he ends up good...the front office player personnel scout looks like a genius.

[mathguy]

The Jackson kid from South Carolina was the #6 ranked h.s. player in the nation? Re-classified and played college ball very young and still is only 18?

https://247sports.com/player/gg-jackson-46103379/
What a steal Memphis got in the mid-second round. Averaged 15 & 6 in college while he should have been still in high school, All_SEC Freshman team.

Best part... dropped 30 on Bruce Pearl's team.

It was a reasonable pick to get a high ceiling player, but there is a good amount of development required. Jackson shot very poorly (probably due to his being the only reasonable offensive weapon on a poor team), but 67.7% from the line and 32.4% from three will definitely need to get a whole lot better. That he only made 42% of his shots inside the arc is also something that will have to improve, as scoring inside the arc gets a whole lot tougher in the NBA. Probably the largest sign that he will need to develop a lot is his really low assist rate. A lot of that can be attributed to having teammates unable to score, but even Saben Lee and Scottie Pippen put up strong assist rates with really decimated rosters. If Jackson turns out to be a steal it might be a couple of seasons before we find out.

I read something suggesting there were attitude concerns with this guy. That can end up working both sides of the pro/con list in the draft. For awhile it drags you down because no one wants a bad attitude guy that hasn't proven he can play ... but at some point you start saying that the potential is better than other guys in this area and wondering if a change of senery cures the attitude problems...

[Obvious]

The Jackson kid from South Carolina was the #6 ranked h.s. player in the nation? Re-classified and played college ball very young and still is only 18?

https://247sports.com/player/gg-jackson-46103379/
What a steal Memphis got in the mid-second round. Averaged 15 & 6 in college while he should have been still in high school, All_SEC Freshman team.

Best part... dropped 30 on Bruce Pearl's team.

It was a reasonable pick to get a high ceiling player, but there is a good amount of development required. Jackson shot very poorly (probably due to his being the only reasonable offensive weapon on a poor team), but 67.7% from the line and 32.4% from three will definitely need to get a whole lot better. That he only made 42% of his shots inside the arc is also something that will have to improve, as scoring inside the arc gets a whole lot tougher in the NBA. Probably the largest sign that he will need to develop a lot is his really low assist rate. A lot of that can be attributed to having teammates unable to score, but even Saben Lee and Scottie Pippen put up strong assist rates with really decimated rosters. If Jackson turns out to be a steal it might be a couple of seasons before we find out.

Kobe Bryant wasn't great his first couple of years in the NBA at a very young age either. Jackson does have major potential but it will take a couple of years to get there, like Kobe. Very low risk at pick 45. If he washes out, not much lost. If he ends up good...the front office player personnel scout looks like a genius.

Kobe was named an all star in his second season. He was in the rookie challenge and slams dunk champion his first season.

[Obvious]

Furthermore, Kobe started winning championships his fourth year in the league and it wasn’t a surprise breakout season.

[MrMemorial]

The Jackson kid from South Carolina was the #6 ranked h.s. player in the nation? Re-classified and played college ball very young and still is only 18?

https://247sports.com/player/gg-jackson-46103379/
What a steal Memphis got in the mid-second round. Averaged 15 & 6 in college while he should have been still in high school, All_SEC Freshman team.

Best part... dropped 30 on Bruce Pearl's team.

It was a reasonable pick to get a high ceiling player, but there is a good amount of development required. Jackson shot very poorly (probably due to his being the only reasonable offensive weapon on a poor team), but 67.7% from the line and 32.4% from three will definitely need to get a whole lot better. That he only made 42% of his shots inside the arc is also something that will have to improve, as scoring inside the arc gets a whole lot tougher in the NBA. Probably the largest sign that he will need to develop a lot is his really low assist rate. A lot of that can be attributed to having teammates unable to score, but even Saben Lee and Scottie Pippen put up strong assist rates with really decimated rosters. If Jackson turns out to be a steal it might be a couple of seasons before we find out.

I read something suggesting there were attitude concerns with this guy. That can end up working both sides of the pro/con list in the draft. For awhile it drags you down because no one wants a bad attitude guy that hasn't proven he can play ... but at some point you start saying that the potential is better than other guys in this area and wondering if a change of senery cures the attitude problems...

Some people think the attitude thing could be something to do with his wanting to stay for his last year of high school and then play for North Carolina but his mother wanted him to go a year early to South Carolina for the NIL cash, so he showed up thinking he was too good to be playing for South Carolina. That's the rumor. He oozes potential. At 18, he's probably still growing. Already 6-9.5 so if he ends up 6-11 and improves his shooting and defense, that would be NBA stretch four deluxe. But he knows that he's about to be spending time riding the G-league bus this first season to go play against the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants.

[TwoSaints]

Some people think the attitude thing could be something to do with his wanting to stay for his last year of high school and then play for North Carolina but his mother wanted him to go a year early to South Carolina for the NIL cash, so he showed up thinking he was too good to be playing for South Carolina. That's the rumor. He oozes potential. At 18, he's probably still growing. Already 6-9.5 so if he ends up 6-11 and improves his shooting and defense, that would be NBA stretch four deluxe. But he knows that he's about to be spending time riding the G-league bus this first season to go play against the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants.

That late in the draft he’s certainly worth a shot. Most draft experts wrote him off, but we all know what a complete mess South Carolina was this year. Who was he going to pass to that would do any better in that system? Add that to his youth and the over-entitlement of a top-five recruit and you can understand why he went so astray.

There’s definitely some serious talent there. Here’s what Sam Vecenie wrote about him in The Athletic yesterday:

Jackson’s general youth and immaturity caused his slide down the board, as teams worried about whether he would be able to actually contribute to a winning team any time soon or if he’d end up being more of a second-draft candidate by the time his talent showcased itself. Undeniably, he’s a gifted shot maker, but there isn’t much to his game on defense or from a basketball IQ perspective. I love the flier here at No. 45, though, on a former top-five recruit in his class.

He has already had some very apologetic things to say recently, which is a good sign. Two things, though: A lot of people are saying Houston, Charlotte, and Memphis got steals with Cam Whitmore, Nick Smith Jr., and Jackson. Those players all slid very far from where they were at one time expected to go. (Curious that nobody’s saying that about Cleveland for drafting Emoni Bates just four picks after Jackson.) But it turns out that the history of those kinds of picks is usually not that great. I don’t know whether it’s the lack of “royal jelly” due to lowered expectations or what. But they rarely turn out to be steals in the long run. And when they do, it’s usually when they slid because of injury concerns that turn out to be legit but perhaps overblown (e.g. Brandon Roy, Malcolm Bronson or Michael Porter Jr.). Second, given how things have gone with Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks recently, I kinda worry that Memphis may not be the best franchise to help G.G. Jackson mature. They did just bring in Marcus Smart, which will help. Interesting pick…

[mathguy]

He has already had some very apologetic things to say recently, which is a good sign. Two things, though: A lot of people are saying Houston, Charlotte, and Memphis got steals with Cam Whitmore, Nick Smith Jr., and Jackson. Those players all slid very far from where they were at one time expected to go. (Curious that nobody’s saying that about Cleveland for drafting Emoni Bates just four picks after Jackson.) But it turns out that the history of those kinds of picks is usually not that great. I don’t know whether it’s the lack of “royal jelly” due to lowered expectations or what. But they rarely turn out to be steals in the long run. And when they do, it’s usually when they slid because of injury concerns that turn out to be legit but perhaps overblown (e.g. Brandon Roy, Malcolm Bronson or Michael Porter Jr.). Second, given how things have gone with Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks recently, I kinda worry that Memphis may not be the best franchise to help G.G. Jackson mature. They did just bring in Marcus Smart, which will help. Interesting pick…

Something that I have noticed as a sports fan over the years ... it is vey rare - in any sport - for a player to have their star fade and then really rise to former glory. Michael Vick had some great games after the dog fighting incident, but I don't think he was really ever a superstar again, although he was young enough to be. Mike Tyson post-prison sentence was better known for biting a guys ear than anything else, even though he too was still young enough to be a champ. Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry never really got back to star status after their drug issues, though to be fair Gooden had arm issues as well. Back to the NFL Josh Gordon's career has been a series of failed reclamations. The jury is still out on Deshaun Watson, but his cameo at the end of last season wasn't encouraging. I suppose if I switch sports, Andre Agassi and Jennifer Capriati were both tennis talents that wandered a bit in the wilderness before finding their purpose and drive again.

So I guess I agree that when you take a chance on these kinds of players it's not usually successful.

Switching gears a bit, I think it will be interesting to see how Marcus Smart is received in a new locker room. I'm a Celtics fan and Smart is an intense guy. You love his hustle on the court. You love his passion in the locker room. But he really has always seemed to me to be a bit of a low-key head case too. He can be crazy. He's not just passionate, he will yell and scream in a locker room. The Celtics over the years have not always been the closest knit team, and while there have been times it seemed Smart held them together, there have also been times I've wondered if he was part of the tension. Now he enters a locker room where he was acquired, in part, to bring a winning attitude, but he's also the "new guy" that can't say he's been around longer than the other guys on the team. It will be interesting. I can imagine a scenario where he helps mentor Ja into a more mature person and player. I can also imagine a scenario where the two come to blows a la Draymond Green and Jordan Poole...

[Jason94]

Some people think the attitude thing could be something to do with his wanting to stay for his last year of high school and then play for North Carolina but his mother wanted him to go a year early to South Carolina for the NIL cash, so he showed up thinking he was too good to be playing for South Carolina. That's the rumor. He oozes potential. At 18, he's probably still growing. Already 6-9.5 so if he ends up 6-11 and improves his shooting and defense, that would be NBA stretch four deluxe. But he knows that he's about to be spending time riding the G-league bus this first season to go play against the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants.

That late in the draft he’s certainly worth a shot. Most draft experts wrote him off, but we all know what a complete mess South Carolina was this year. Who was he going to pass to that would do any better in that system? Add that to his youth and the over-entitlement of a top-five recruit and you can understand why he went so astray.

There’s definitely some serious talent there. Here’s what Sam Vecenie wrote about him in The Athletic yesterday:

Jackson’s general youth and immaturity caused his slide down the board, as teams worried about whether he would be able to actually contribute to a winning team any time soon or if he’d end up being more of a second-draft candidate by the time his talent showcased itself. Undeniably, he’s a gifted shot maker, but there isn’t much to his game on defense or from a basketball IQ perspective. I love the flier here at No. 45, though, on a former top-five recruit in his class.

He has already had some very apologetic things to say recently, which is a good sign. Two things, though: A lot of people are saying Houston, Charlotte, and Memphis got steals with Cam Whitmore, Nick Smith Jr., and Jackson. Those players all slid very far from where they were at one time expected to go. (Curious that nobody’s saying that about Cleveland for drafting Emoni Bates just four picks after Jackson.) But it turns out that the history of those kinds of picks is usually not that great. I don’t know whether it’s the lack of “royal jelly” due to lowered expectations or what. But they rarely turn out to be steals in the long run. And when they do, it’s usually when they slid because of injury concerns that turn out to be legit but perhaps overblown (e.g. Brandon Roy, Malcolm Bronson or Michael Porter Jr.). Second, given how things have gone with Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks recently, I kinda worry that Memphis may not be the best franchise to help G.G. Jackson mature. They did just bring in Marcus Smart, which will help. Interesting pick…

I'll say that Saben Lee had an assist rate of 32% as a junior during CJS's first seasons, playing most of the season without Nesmith, and basically having a freshman Scottie Pippen as the only other scorer on the roster. The 2020 Vandy team had essentially the same record as the 2023 USC squad that Jackson was a part of. The point being that players who see the floor well are able to create for their teammates even when they aren't surrounded by great players. Sometimes this is the kind of thing that can be developed, but it seems like players generally have good court vision or they don't.