What are NBA Draft prospects for UConn men's basketball star Andre Jackson? 'He's in a tricky spot'

[Jaydumo20]

@husky429 You know way more about this stuff than I do:
Do you think AJax needs to totally overhaul his shot? We've seen pros over the years shooting from a lower position with success. We've talked about the dip a bunch. Obviously AJaxs is way more exaggerated. How much more efficient does he need to be to reach passable nba level? Do you think he can do it with his current stroke, but tweaked?

 

[husky429]

@husky429 You know way more about this stuff than I do:
Do you think AJax needs to totally overhaul his shot? We've seen pros over the years shooting from a lower position with success. We've talked about the dip a bunch. Obviously AJaxs is way more exaggerated. How much more efficient does he need to be to reach passable nba level? Do you think he can do it with his current stroke, but tweaked?

Really the form doesn't matter as long as it's simple and repeatable with consistency. You could shoot upside down and backwards with one hand if it goes in. That's why dudes with wonky form can become passable shooters.

Whatever Andre is doing isn't repeatable .. that's why he's missing. Biggest issues to me seem to be how he grips the ball and some wonky stuff with his lower body. I'm not 100% sure without looking more.

A dedicated shooting coach would likely diagnose the issues more carefully and build some drills to fix his grip and get the shot more consistent. It's likely a 2-3 year process though.

 

[navery12]

Am I missing something? If he comes back and plays next year at UConn, he'll have played 4 seasons in 4 years, and he doesn't get the COVID year...so there really isn't an SEC (or UConn) postgrad opportunity.

He gets a Covid year

 

[tzznandrew]

He gets a Covid year

Why? His first year was 2020-2021. There was an NCAAT.

 

[navery12]

Why? His first year was 2020-2021. There was an NCAAT.

The 2020-21 season is the one a Covid year was given for, not the 2020 season where the NCAA tournament was cancelled

 

[JohnFSilver]

No surprise to hear major schizophrenia in the scouts' comments about him.

Even though he loves UConn and the college experience and wants to make his mark with a second championship, leaving now may make the most sense, but who knows for sure?

So many unknowns and he must be feeling big pressure to make the right decision for the rest of his life. Hopefully DH has enlisted knowledgeable people to give AJ advice on the process and the factors he needs to consider to make the best decision.
So, now or later. Does it really make any difference?

Now camp: "Somebody," one scout predicted, "is going to take a chance on him."

Later camp:"People are not going to forget about him," one scout reckoned, "if he goes back for another year."

First or second, surely not undrafted......but is anything for sure?

"Jackson is viewed as a potential late first-round draft pick, where the money is guaranteed, but far more likely a second-round selection, where it gets, well, trickier. He could still make good money. Look no further than former UConn teammate Tyrese Martin, who was drafted No. 55 overall by Atlanta last year and signed a two-year, $2.7 million contract, with over $1 million guaranteed. "

Let's all hope AJ makes the best decision for himself, regardless of what it may mean relative to his career at UConn.

Scouts are ridiculous. What kind of takes are these? Someone will take him? He needs another year?

Take a stand , scout and project. Say, “high risk , high reward but we feel the ceiling is worth the risk.”

Man. Scouts act like every player in the 9th man and needs another year.

One guy, at least says he can play D now. Others are so…I don’t know.

Your job is to know. Make a projection. Sheesh.

 

[phillionaire]

He got invited to the draft combine so that bodes well for him

 

[Demo Square]

Hey Guys,

A Lot of well-thought out responses here about a kid we really like. Great job!

My opinion is that Andre has run out of time for college ball. He has to leave for the pro's now or be considered "too old," another of sports' ongoing 'makes no sense, but everybody is on the bandwagon' trends.

HOWEVER, the name of the game of basketball is to put the ball in the basket. When we all were children, someone introduced us to basketball by lifting us up to the hoop so we could put the ball through it (& get hooked on it). That's It! That's the game's essential goal.

But Andre cannot put the ball through the hoop & has that obvious, debilitating mental block in learning how to shoot or even wanting to shoot outside of dunking.

Question: How many 6'6" NBA guys cannot shoot the basketball a lick & still get playing time, no matter how athletic?

And only one such current player - Draymond Green, who has the same mental affliction as Andre & Ben Simmons when it comes to shooting - does so many things to make his team run smoothly & to win, that all his blown layups can be ignored. (I think his decade of anti-sportsman like antic's will finally get him traded this contract year).

Do you think that Andre could be that Draymond kind of player in the League long-term?

So as much as we really like the kid in college? Andre's NBA prospects for success - to me - are very dim indeed.

Gotta be able to put the ball in the basketball. Andre' has had plenty of time to develop a shot at UConn. He just jsn't wired that way, the way of the NBA & the whole sport really.

But NBA teams WILL take a chance on Andre bacause he's a winner & is actually likeable & articulate. Andre will simply KILL the combine.

Father Demo

 

[Huskyforlife]

I honestly don't understand posts like this. Do you think Andre would be surprised by the feedback that he can't shoot?

My least favorite genre of off season post is “He needs to hear feedback” variations. Like some 20 year NBA scout is gonna tell them something our coaching staff hasn’t repeated before. The only point in testing is to see exactly what range you’re looking at in the draft, and even then I’m sure players can just ask their coaches what their NBA friends are thinking.

 

[Scrappy3]

Trayce jackson davis(this year) Jalen Williams Chirs Duarte etc... all guys who CAME back and became high picks and went from undrfated or 2nd rd to big guaranteed money

This would be his team--gives him a whole additional year to improve. His downside injury his upside maybe 7-12mm locked

 

[giddyup]

The two scouts are dead money. He’s likely a second rounder because he can’t shoot well
…yet. It’s G league or college. He should go for the golden ring, work his reared off refining his shooting and emerge as a first rounder next year with guaranteed money. Even at the bottom of the scale, he’ll make at least a minimum of 2x.

 

[TheChamps990411]

"Or does he see that he's going to be a middle to late-second round pick and come back for another year, adds even a little bit to his offense, all of a sudden now, he's a top 20-25 pick and makes himself guaranteed money?"

I hope this is what happens. Come back get some NIL money as the face of the program and work his butt off on the offensive end. He could be a candidate for National Player of the Year if he gets his shot to even 35%

 

[NEforceUConn]

You label it please.

 

[Scottobot]

No one ever mentions this, but if the player develops in college vs G league, the person also gets a college education and potentially a degree, which offers a great deal of fulfillment in its own right, plus some alternative career options should basketball not pan out.

 

[mauconnfan]

I look at how Bouknight's 3pt percentage changed this season after getting coaching and refining his shot in the G-league. He shot 33% in G-league in 2022 and improved to 43% from 3 in the G-league in 2023. In 8 NBA games after the return from the G-league in March & April he shot 38% vs 25% in the 1st part of the season. For reference Bouknight shot 32% from 3 at UConn. Total commitment and immersion into being a pro can change a player. AJ probably needs that total focus at this point in his career. Hoping that a late 1st round established team sees AJ as a multi-tool player that can find a role.

That’s impressive numbers for a guy, solid improvement without a doubt. My question would be did you see Bouknight shoot at UConn versus Andre shoot at UConn? I mean there’s no comparison as to who you would expect to improve potentially with 1:1 coaching. He already had form and made shots, the other not so much at all. Complete blow up and start from scratch for a team and AJs jumper. Hope he can do it but he honestly can’t shoot the ball well. Does all the great things he can do give him a chance to play at that level? We will see.

 

[M.S.G.]

"Or does he see that he's going to be a middle to late-second round pick and come back for another year, adds even a little bit to his offense, all of a sudden now, he's a top 20-25 pick and makes himself guaranteed money?"

I hope this is what happens. Come back get some NIL money as the face of the program and work his butt off on the offensive end. He could be a candidate for National Player of the Year if he gets his shot to even 35%

Listen we all love the kid but reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelax..

 

[REB1094]

Trayce jackson davis(this year) Jalen Williams Chirs Duarte etc... all guys who CAME back and became high picks and went from undrfated or 2nd rd to big guaranteed money

This would be his team--gives him a whole additional year to improve. His downside injury his upside maybe 7-12mm locked

Trayce averaged 21 points a game on 58% as a senior
Jalen 18 a game on 51% as a junior
Duarte 17 a game at 53% as a sophomore

Very different scenarios with very different players. Andre’s best value as a player is exactly what he excelled at last season - hyper athlete, defensive stopper, high energy floor general who runs fast breaks better than anybody else

In my opinion, bringing him back to try to be a scorer would hurt him more than help him. It’d be taking away from what he’s best at, and forcing him to do something he’s bad at. In my opinion an NBA team would be wise to take him as he is, try to develop a 35% three point shot, and utilize him as a 3&D point forward

 

[CL82]

Exactly same as Sanogo.

Not really. Mali is a poor country in a way that it is tough for Americans to wrap their mind around. Sanogo playing professionally is "life-changing" for his entire family. Adama can't earn active NIL money like a Andre can especially after a national championship year.

Jackson can look at where he ends up and return to school, if he doesn't like what he sees. Sanogo is committed.

 

[RipCity]

Really, really difficult decision for any GM because his game is so unique. Like it says... he's basically the total package of an NBA wing, except he can't score at all. Elite defense, rebounding, passing, good handles for his size. Leadership... EVERYTHING, but this weird physical or mental hang-up keeping him from being able to score.

I think Andre needs to go. In the college environment, he doesn't have the level of coaching to develop that shot. There just isn't enough time allowed. He's had 3 years to do it with no appreciable change in his scoring ability. If it's going to happen, it's going to be with a 1:1 shooting coach that an NBA team can provide over a couple years in the G-League. If he's able to collect a half-way decent paycheck, he should. His stock is never going to be higher.

I would be worried about getting enough shots up in the g league to improve his offensive game enough. It’s not the NBA, but the G-League is filled with guys who were great in college. Given how inept Jackson is as a scorer in the college, it’s not like a G League team is going to give him a larger role than he had here. If Jackson wants to prove there’s more to his game and not be cast in the scrappy glue guy role forever, he might want to come back. But turning down guaranteed money this year is also a big risk in itself.

 

[Kathy]

Not that I wouldn't love to have him back, but in 3 years he didn't develop his scoring ability here what makes anyone think he can do it in a year - tried that with Freeman, how'd that work out?

 

[NJHusky]

I would be worried about getting enough shots up in the g league to improve his offensive game enough. It’s not the NBA, but the G-League is filled with guys who were great in college. Given how inept Jackson is as a scorer in the college, it’s not like a G League team is going to give him a larger role than he had here. If Jackson wants to prove there’s more to his game and not be cast in the scrappy glue guy role forever, he might want to come back. But turning down guaranteed money this year is also a big risk in itself.

To some degree, it’s the same issue even in college. When we were giving ball at the 3 pt line early in BE play, results weren’t good. Once we moved him to the dunker spot and used his athleticism, things opened up for the offense.

trying to get him to work on the perimeter then moving him back to the dunker spot again won’t help his pro career. The real risk imo is he comes back and isn’t able to fix his shot….then what? He’s a year older with the same challenges

 

[husky429]

I would be worried about getting enough shots up in the g league to improve his offensive game enough. It’s not the NBA, but the G-League is filled with guys who were great in college. Given how inept Jackson is as a scorer in the college, it’s not like a G League team is going to give him a larger role than he had here. If Jackson wants to prove there’s more to his game and not be cast in the scrappy glue guy role forever, he might want to come back. But turning down guaranteed money this year is also a big risk in itself.

I think part of the pre-draft process for him is going to be discussions about what role and skill development will be available at the next level.

That being said, at the end of the day I still think he needs to go--even if they tell him he won't have a huge role in the g-league. He's 3 years into college with no major difference in his scoring ability and he's obviously been working on it the entire time. It isn't going to happen in Storrs. That's not a slight on our coaching staff... their time is limited with players in the off-season. Andre's best shot is to get with the best skill developers on the planet and shoot his shot in the league.

I'd still be thrilled if he returned (duh), I'm just thinking if I was in his inner circle, I would be encouraging him to go, even if it was the second round.

 

[Scrutineer]

Scouts are ridiculous. What kind of takes are these? Someone will take him? He needs another year?

Take a stand , scout and project. Say, “high risk , high reward but we feel the ceiling is worth the risk.”

Man. Scouts act like every player in the 9th man and needs another year.

One guy, at least says he can play D now. Others are so…I don’t know.

Your job is to know. Make a projection. Sheesh.

Likely some ingrained butt covering to maximize the potential for keeping their jobs. You can look at all the data on every player but it's still a crap shoot to project the level of success they may have.

Years ago, when we were recruiting Rashamel Jones, I sat in front of JC at a tournament played at CCSU and asked him what he looks for in an individual player and how he can compare what he sees in one player in a game in New Britain today with another player in New York in a game next week against totally different competition.

He may have seen me talking with Calipari on the sideline during the warmups and didn't trust my motives, or simply didn't want to waste time with some guy asking him for trade secrets, but his reply was, "you have to see them many times."

Seemed reasonable. Maybe the scouts quoted in the article hadn't seen them enough?

 

[REB1094]

I think part of the pre-draft process for him is going to be discussions about what role and skill development will be available at the next level.

That being said, at the end of the day I still think he needs to go--even if they tell him he won't have a huge role in the g-league. He's 3 years into college with no major difference in his scoring ability and he's obviously been working on it the entire time. It isn't going to happen in Storrs. That's not a slight on our coaching staff... their time is limited with players in the off-season. Andre's best shot is to get with the best skill developers on the planet and shoot his shot in the league.

I'd still be thrilled if he returned (duh), I'm just thinking if I was in his inner circle, I would be encouraging him to go, even if it was the second round.

I think we’re all also forgetting that Andre already did revamp his shot last summer. Remember that offseason videos of him draining like 20 threes in a row? His shot form did get a lot better, but the unfamiliarity and lack of confidence in that new form dropped his percentage by 7 points (!!)

Revamping it again this offseason is possible, but a huge risk. 3 different forms in 3 years will not set him up well for continuing it in the NBA. Its a lot harder than it sounds to just change your entire shooting form and re-program your muscle memory

He actually shot 36% from three on low volume his sophomore year. Revamping his form hurt him more than it helped him. That’s a big risk to try again. I’m with you here, keep excelling at what he’s best at and develop the shot in the league. Low to mid 30% on low volume is all he needs

EDIT just editing because this post seemed negative and I want to put positive energy out there by saying that every NBA team could use a guy like Andre Jackson and I hope he kills it and am confident he will get drafted

 

[444JR]

Austin Reaves and Buddy Hield are two 4 year guys that come to mind who are thriving in the league now. I fervently believe Andre will have an incredibly successful career in the NBA whether he comes back to Storrs for a 4th season or not. I think he gets drafted late first or early 2nd(either year) and he’s got the character, makeup(identity?), and skill set that a young man needs in order to make it in one of the most prestigious organizations in world. A true captain and leader capable of galvanizing a locker room whether he comes back as a senior or starts his pro career off as a rookie in the NBA/NBA G-League.