Michigan State Basketball: 5 potential NBA draft landing spots for Jaren Jackson Jr.
By Justin Thind
Jaren Jackson Jr. enters the 2018 NBA Draft process as one of the more intriguing prospects. Where will the Michigan State basketball star land?
With the 2018 NBA Draft less than a week away, it’s a good time to look at where Michigan State phenom Jaren Jackson Jr. might realistically end up when draft night is all wrapped up.
While there is surely an abundance of teams coveting Jackson, only a few are positioned to draft him. Most NBA mock drafts project him in the 3-5 range. It’s unlikely that he gets selected any higher, and it’s hard to imagine him sliding out of that range as well. The teams that hold those three picks are the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks, respectively.
It is extremely likely that one of those three teams end up drafting Jackson; however, Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported that teams outside of the top five are looking to trade up for Jackson after a “monster” workout for the Phoenix Suns. All of this brings up the question, where will Jaren Jackson Jr. really end up?
Well let’s preview the likely outcomes.
5. Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies have the fourth pick of the NBA draft and are looking to pair, and potentially replace, someone with Marc Gasol, who is in the last phase of his career. Drafting Jackson would give them a much more athletic complement to Gasol.
While Jackson is an excellent rim protector, as evidenced by his astounding 4.9 blocks per 36 minutes at MSU, he can also play away from the rim, both offensively and defensively, while Gasol locks down the paint.
On offense, Jackson has shown an ability to knock down shots away from the basket, shooting 39.6 percent from 3-point range for the Spartans. On the defensive end, Jackson has the athleticism and agility to guard another team’s stretch-four on the perimeter. Plus, if Gasol’s minutes start decreasing as age catches up to him, Jackson can easily step into the paint as well.
The Grizzlies would not only be getting the perfect pairing to Gasol, but someone that could be the heir-apparent to the Grizzlies front-court long after Gasol’s career is over. But for now, a trio of Mike Conley, Gasol and Jackson Jr. would be more than formidable. If Memphis keeps their pick, the likelihood of him ending up playing for the Grizzlies is very high.
Yes, IF Memphis keeps the pick…
The Athletic’s Michael Scotto is reporting that Memphis has been trying to feel out interest in a package consisting of Chandler Parson and the No. 4 overall pick. This pairing makes sense for the Grizzlies. While the No. 4 pick is obviously a very sought-after asset, Chandler Parsons is the total opposite.
Parsons’ contract is often regarded as one of the worst in the NBA, as he is due to make $24.1 million and $25.1 million over the next two seasons, respectively. No team would be willing to take in Parsons without a major incentive to do so, though. The fourth overall pick fulfills that requirement.
Furthermore, the Grizzlies should still get a good return in the trade, in addition to the cap relief. It might not be a haul that a team would usually except when trading a top-five pick since Parsons puts a damper on things, but there should be a key piece or two that can help them down the road.
If they do pull off a trade, it is almost guaranteed that they will find themselves outside the range that Jackson Jr. will drafted. Basically, the Grizzlies must decide between taking a player like Jaren Jackson Jr. with the fourth pick, or using that spot in order to get cap relief which they could spend on a player that is already established. It’ll be interesting to see what they decide to do come Thursday night.