NBA Draft Scouting Report: UConn's Andre Jackson

Scouting Report: Andre Jackson

Contents

1. Prospect Profile
2. Highlights
3. Draft Projection 
4. 2023 Big Board 

Andre Jackson

Guard | UConn 

Height: 6'6” | Weight: 210 lbs 

2023 Draft Age: 21.61 

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Prospect Profile

In terms of physical build, Jackson is fit for the NBA. At 6-foot-6, he’s got the size and skills to play wing, but is also more of a natural guard. This should result in versatility at the next level. That's exactly what we saw during UConn's championship run, as he was one of the most important players on that entire roster, which certainly helped his draft stock.

For his size, Jackson has really good speed to go along with incredible bounce. He’s a bit lanky, but makes up for it with explosiveness and length.

The primary question surrounding the UConn guard is the jumper. Mechanically, he’s got a bit of a hitch and the load up is interesting. Jackson has a high release, but it’s seemingly far away from his body and is more of a push than a shot. This is visible both from beyond the arc and even the free throw line.

While he shot 36.1% from deep as a sophomore but, his freshman and junior numbers have not been anywhere near that. Unless something drastic happens to close out this season, his sophomore sample size will look like an anomaly that can’t be trusted

Even outside of the jump shot, his offensive game needs work overall. He’s not a very polished scorer, and often looks unorthodox as he looks to generate a shot.

After averaging just 2.8 points as a freshman and 6.8 as a sophomore, Jackson hasn’t shown much more improvement as an overall scorer. He’s still not a real threat to ever produce 20 points in a game and rarely has double-digit scoring outings.

With that in mind, he’s not a bad offensive player. This is due to his tremendous upside as a passer and facilitator. Jackson’s passes are tight and his assist numbers are way up this season. He’s really emerged as one of the better playmakers for others, which does counter some of the lack of scoring.

As it relates to his athleticism, Jackson is a highlight dunker, which is something he’s been doing since he was 12 years old. This makes him a monster in transition, both offensively and defensively.

Speaking of defense, that’s where he really thrives. Jackson is absolutely a high upside defender that could make an impact at the NBA level. He’s a good positional shot blocker and also averages more than a steal per game. The junior has good natural instincts on that end of the floor and uses his athleticism and quickness very well.

If Jackson can come around as a perimeter shooter, a hyper athletic 3-and-D player is what he could be at the next level. If not, there’s questions around what his role could be. On the bright side, he’s a good leader and a very smart individual.

Playing on one of the best teams in the country, Jackson made up a great backcourt with Jordan Hawkins at UConn. This goes to show that he can play well off of another top-level player and also contributes to winning at the highest level.

The former four-star, top 50 recruit out of Albany Academy has taken a few years at the college level to round out his game, but will get real consideration in the 2023 NBA Draft.

He’s got basketball in his DNA as both parents played college ball. At this point, it’s about finishing the season strong and improving the jumper to move beyond the college level. 

Highlights

Draft Projection 

Second-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.

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2023 Big Board 

Want to know more about other potential 2023 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Pro Big Board.

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