How Michigan State basketball rookies do in 2018-19 NBA season?
By Sam Britten
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jaren Jackson Jr. secured a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team, which speaks a lot to how great of a year he had. He also managed to secure the fourth most votes of any rookie with 159.
After watching the two Spartan prospects play a year in the NBA, it’s clear why Jackson was projected to go much sooner than Miles Bridges. His field goal percentage is above 50, which doesn’t separate jump shots from layups and dunks, but making half of your scoring attempts isn’t a bad deal. His shooting percentage could still be worse as Jackson Jr. made nearly 36 percent of his three-point attempts and just over 55 percent of his two-point attempts. He also made more than 76 percent of his shots from the line.
Jackson Jr. also managed to continue his success on the glass by grabbing just under five rebounds a game, which is something you’d expect from a player that’s nearly seven feet tall. He’s still fitting into the typical “big man” role in the NBA that expects him to be a difference maker on the glass, but he’s also probably aware of the changes around power forwards and centers.
There aren’t a lot of big men like Dwight Howard or Dennis Rodman in the league except for Dwight Howard. Big men shoot more threes than they did even 10 years ago.
He’s the fifth highest scorer on his team and pulled that off despite playing fewer minutes per game than four other Grizzlies. Just under 14 points per game in just over 26 minutes per game is an impressive feat for a rookie. This might not have attracted as much attention as Luka Doncic or Trae Young making noise in their markets, but Jackson Jr. did also have Mike Conley on his team as well as Marc Gasol for more than half the season.
Jackson Jr. did get injured in February with a right quad injury (ESPN.com), but this shouldn’t stop fans from believing he’ll be back and ready to go.
Kemba Walker might not be in Charlotte after the offseason, although he did say he’s open to taking a pay cut to rebuild according to Bleacher Report, meaning Bridges and the Hornets might struggle if that happens. Jackson Jr., on the other hand, likely has Ja Morant coming to Memphis after the Grizzlies managed to secure the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft lottery.
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Both superstars have time to emerge as successful players, most of it within their control, but Jackson has the edge in terms of how high his ceiling is.