Duke’s Frank Jackson
2016-17 season: 36 games played, 10.9 points on 53.9 percent shooting inside the arc (39.5 percent from 3 on 3.6 attempts per game), 2.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game
Frank Jackson was a bit of a surprise to not only enter the 2017 NBA Draft, but staying in it after the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
Like most of the roster at Duke during this past season, Jackson showed some up-and-down play that resulted in the Blue Devils getting upset in the Round of 32 during the NCAA Tournament this past spring. However, Jackson did put one one of the better performances among the guards during the combine and helped his stock immensely.
He’s only 6-foot-2 (without shoes), but measured in with a 6-foot-7.5 wingspan and 42-inch max vertical leap, which should tell you that Jackson is a better athlete than he looks.
(Best-case scenario) comparable players (via The Ringer’s NBA Draft Guide): Los Angeles Clippers guard Austin Rivers and Philadelphia 76ers guard Jerryd Bayless
Jackson didn’t come with the hype at Duke that Doc Rivers’ son did during his one season in Durham, but like Rivers and Jerryd Bayless, he’s more explosive than he looks on the run. The comparisons come into play with the shooting aspect. Jackson was a great shooter from long range, shooting just under 40 percent from deep in 130 total attempts from 3-point range during last season.
What does Draft Express think of Jackson?
"Frank Jackson out of Duke, who just recently signed with an agent, posted impressive overall numbers in the athletic testing portion of the Combine. Jackson finished first overall in the shuttle run (2.7 seconds), second overall in the max vertical leap (42), third overall in the standing vertical leap (35.5) and fifth overall in the three-quarter court sprint (3.14 seconds). Despite coming off a very inconsistent freshman season, Jackson opted to officially keep his name in the draft, and had a very good first half in Day One before electing to sit out Day Two of the Combine. (Julian Applebome, DX)"