One of my favorites in this year's draft class is an ultra versatile wing, Andre Jackson. His numbers don’t really stand out as a junior at UConn, only averaging 6.7 points per game, but when you watch him you're able to see how electric he really is. Andre is a really explosive athlete that is really toolsy on both ends of the court. He can pass with size and guard all over the floor. He racks up steals, rebounds, and blocks because he’s just such a hard-nosed player. He really fights the other team for advantages. He sets the pace and tone on defense as a guy that forces his opponents to try to speed up to keep up with him. When guarding on the perimeter, he stands strong and is always ready to poke for the ball. He also blocks and creates turnovers off of passing lanes. He forces guys to watch him when he’s on them as his eyes are always glued to the ball. He can get these outside stops across the lineup positionally because his intelligence and athleticism allow him to guard virtually any position. Even though he sometimes has blow buys, he recovers fast to come in for a swooping block or steal. He’s an effective interior defender that will have big highlight swats. He has great timing and awareness that allows him to come in or see a play before it happens. Andre simply just anticipates his opponents and has the leaping ability to shut down any attempts around the rim. When he’s able to cause a turnover, he’s able to instantly convert that defense into offense. He can whip the ball around the court and slam it in so he’s a real dual threat in fast break opportunities. His handle is good enough to keep up in rush plays so he doesn’t lose the ball as often as you might think when watching him dribble. What makes him special is his ability to pass. He brings the ball up a lot for UConn as they've recognized him to be a bit of a point guard with really good passing instincts. He makes good reads to bigs in the post, slashers cutting in, and shooters on the outside. He’s very unselfish and enjoys playing in a team construct. He loves to make little sneaky handoffs and can work well even when he’s tripped up or off balance. Andre isn’t a shooting threat but his ability to make improvised drives to the basket makes it so teams have to watch him which helps to open playmaking opportunities. He doesn’t really stop at the basket to conduct set moves, but instead freestyles with some kind of athletic finish or yam. He has enough length and bounce to get it over most and was actually known as a prolific dunker in high school. Scoring-wise, he works best as a sporadic cutter and lob threat. Like I said earlier he’s a bad shooter. The reason why he doesn’t have big scoring numbers is because he just can’t shoot. The form isn’t completely broken but he’s unreliable enough to the point that he’s told to pass up good looks and to give it up to someone else. Teams will sag off of him as they know he’ll probably miss if he takes it which is a scary sign, especially in college. He has a few things going for him when trying to see how he might progress. He’s been a good career free throw shooter which is usually a good indicator of projecting how a player's shots look going forward. He also has been good in smaller sample sizes worth of dribble-jumper three-pointers. Something weird about his shot is that he looks far more comfortable when he goes into his shot rather than just simply catching and shooting. If he wants to truly impact in the league offensively he will have to learn how to work a bit more without the ball in his hands. He has so many skills already, to the point where I don’t care that much about his shooting. All he really needs to be a high-value starter is to be a respectable three-point shooter which is something I can bet on turning around. Andre was integral to UConn winning the national championship as he was the main connective tissue to their options on both ends of the floor. He distributes the ball well and gives teammates opportunities to produce offensively and defensively. He’s a winning player that can help a team immediately with some upside and improvement ahead of him.

Super athletic wing defender who has glue-guy attributes. One of the best defenders in men's NCAA this year. Above the rim finisher, of one or two dribble drives, cuts, or lobs. Terriffic weak side rebounder off misses. High IQ on both sides of the ball. Terrific secondary playmaker who always makes the smart passes. Flashes off-ball to the open spot, then immediately kicks the ball to the open player. Decent catch and shoot prospect from three. Funky release on his shot, but not broken. Needs to improve ball handling, finishing around defenders at the rim, and contested three pointers. A winning player who can benefit most on teams with a clear identity and needs glue-guys/ball movers (eg. Clippers, Suns, or Heat).

ELECTRIC Dunker, big time athleticism Underrated Role Player - does some of the little things Can do a variety of things, (pass, rebound, defend) Intelligent cutter Finishes in a variety of ways, can pop a floater or slam down a poster Hard worker, runs at top speed and even boxes out consistently at a high level Super long, strong frame Screens consistently and timely Can be the driving force between large runs Unrecognized talent as a passer, sees open men and even has an interesting bag to get the ball to them Easy energy player at the pro level Runs the court well in transition, NBA players will need to get on the treadmill to run with Jackson Not an electric or even fundamentally strong shooter Won’t give you points like Jordan Hawkins or Brandon Miller Isn’t that effective w/o good scorers around him With so much pace, Jackson Jr. can make some dumb mistakes Really flexible as a finisher, can adjust in mid-air Needs to add a reliable shot, defenders can just sag off of him and ruin the entirety of the offense Consistently makes the right play to run an offense Understands positioning, spacing, and staying to his role Rigid and slow shot release Very straightforward, can telegraph decisions Just won the CHIP Flashes of solid touch in the lane at the combine