DRAFT TALK Thread: Looking Like Lonzo

Did another film study, this time on Kansas with Josh Jackson, Jawun Evans, and Frank Mason III.

- Jackson fit his bill. He's not a shooter and in fact only took 2-3 jump shots. His lack of shooting was masked by the Kansas offense which moved a LOT off the ball. The constant movement kept defenses honest and while they sagged off Jackson, there would be a motion through that didn't let his man double off of him. Jackson only hit one jumper I can recall, but it was a big one with 2 minutes left and the game on the line.

- Jackson's best attributes by far are his passing and his rebounding. He has very good rebounding technique, frequently boxing out and getting his butt on a guy between himself and the basket. After that he has a solid enough dribble to take the ball up the floor and his size helps him see over the defense. He made some brilliant passes and some very good reads. His ability to grab and push was invaluable to the Kansas offense and had a similar impact to what Randle does for us when he's locked in.

- I'm not sure where he gets his offense in the pros. He doesn't have a good enough handle to break down the defense consistently especially against guards and wings, it's worse than Ball's. He can't shoot or at least not a clip that defenses will respect. That limits him to a cutter/slasher which he's good at, but is that where you go for the #2 pick?

- Jackson isn't very strong. He stretches the game vertically (especially along the baseline) and he tries to box out, but he boxes out and then uses his vertical to go get the ball. He doesn't have a strong base to affect the opposition inside. This is notable because I don't think there's much chance of him being a PF in the NBA, probably ever. He'd get overwhelmed physically.

- Jackson's body doesn't look like it's going to have much room to fill out. He has slender shoulders for his height which is usually a bad sign for building muscle. He'll get stronger definitely, but I'm not sure he ever is strong enough to be that 1-4 defender that you hope for out of him.

- Defensively Jackson is good-not-great. He was never challenged really in one-on-one situations. He was mostly used as a "Free Safety" where he'd cheat off the other team's PF and roam around wreaking havoc. He did a good job in that regard, but was occasionally out of position as his man cut to the rim. He was a very good rim protector. He had timing and footwork inside to change shots and block a couple.

- Besides Jackson, the person on Kansas that really popped off the screen is Frank Mason III, in fact he popped much more than Jackson. He's slotted to go in the 2nd round in almost every mock draft I've seen and that's been consistent. It's about 95% because of his height. He's a legitimate 5'11" and has just a 6'3" wingspan and both of those things show on film. However, he's also a hell of a gamer and much faster with the ball than most. He had nearly a triple double in this game and rebounded well for a man his size. He has a tight handle, makes good to great passes consistently, and can attack the rim well for his size. I think he can be an NBA player off the bench. If Yogi Ferrell can make a splash, I think Frank Mason III can too.

- Jawun Evans looked fantastic in this game. He consistently was able to create looks for himself and for others. He had a career high in assists against the #1 team in the country. He almost beat them basically by himself. He was even able to create looks for himself and others while being defended by Josh Jackson. I've had him floating around in the 2nd because of another game or two I watched of his that I didn't love, but this one made me see why he's a late 1st in some mocks. It made me want to go watch another game of his.

 

I agree with most of this, but I want to again point out that in the games I've watched Ball isn't a terrible defender. He gets hooked on screens, but other than that in one-on-one situations he's been mostly good outside of a couple plays against De'Aaron Fox. I don't think he's a lockdown guy but whoever drafts him isn't going to be lamenting his defense.

I'm with you though. I don't think Jackson is the right pick at #2 when there's more skilled players on the board. Drafting Jackson means we need shooters in the game. Do we like Jackson so much that we're willing to move maybe more than one of Ingram, Randle, Nance Jr., Zubac? I mean we would desperately need shooters on the team. Jackson's best ability is to rebound and push... which is the best ability of Randle so it would probably mean Randle would be gone. Is Jackson better than Randle? I'm not positive of that. He could be.

Or we could just take Ball who fits better and is probably just as good if not better than Jackson. We also wouldn't have to move anybody else to make the offense work.

 

Isn't Fox rumored to be scheduled to work out for LA today?

 

I agree with you on Ball (UCLA is my team, I watched him a lot this season), I only point out his not being a lock down defender or anything to be fair/objective. I don't want to sound like a Ball..defender(?), because I'm not. I'm well aware of his strengths and his weaknesses, and he is my preferred choice if we do select a player at #2, but but I'm not gonna go nuts if that's not what we do, same as I didn't when we didn't take Okafor.

 

I agree with everything here except that Ingram won't be able to shoot well enough to be a primary wing. He has a decent stroke and shot quite well in college. I think a lot of his issues last season may have been due to his thin frame and conditioning. He shot better as the season went on and he got "used to" the NBA grind. I'm not saying the dude is going to be Kevin Durant, but I think he can (and will) develop into a good shooter.

But everything else is spot-on. I still lean towards Ball though over Jackson. UCLA went from 15-17 and 10th in the Pac 12...to 31-5. That turn around was led by Lonzo...He's the engine that made that team work. There are "IF"s attached to him, no doubt. But his style of play, position, and intangibles seem to be the best fit for the squad.

 

Another Josh Jackson game.

- Once again the guy who really pops out is Frank Mason III. He's got some tremendous athleticism and the quickness a guy like him needs at the NBA level. He's absolutely unafraid to mix it up, even coming down with some big rebounds when the game was on the line. He shot lights out in this one. I'm not certain he has NBA range, but he should be able to get there in time. I hope he gets a real shot in the league despite his height. Seems like a good kid.

- Kansas frequently runs a weave set and a couple reads/variations off of it, but it helps hide Jackson's ineffectiveness offensively. In the NBA, he won't be able to hide like this. If my counting is correct, Jackson took just three jumpers in this game and missed all of them, with one clanking off the side of the rim. His biggest contribution in half-court offenses is running the baseline and as a high-post passer because he is probably their best or second best passer on the team. Still, as a SG or SF, I'm not sure where his offense comes from in the NBA. Can he hack it as just a cutter? Is that enough?

- Defensively Jackson looks great as protection over the top. He's almost always around the basket defensively challenging shots or mixing it up on rebounds. He is their rim protector instead of their 7 footer. He does a great job of challenging shots vertically and using that great athleticism to make things difficult. He also does well mixing it up on the perimeter, feinting for digs on drives, and trying to muddy the passing lanes. One-one-one situations didn't come up often, but when they did he had mixed results. On the few possessions where he was posted up, I felt he did alright staying upright but can be moved around easily because he only weighs 200 pounds. He was blown by in one isolation situation which caught my eye. He wasn't in great position with his body angled oddly instead of just keeping himself in front. The ball handler blew right past him.

- He's not as smart of a player as Ball is, but he does have a natural nose for the ball. Jackson tends to find himself drifting into situations where he can make things happen good or bad. He has solid instincts, especially defensively.