All the predraft sites (RIP DraftExpress) said the same thing about Jaren Jackson: he good, but man that shot form is wonked out to heck and back. They didn’t use quite those words, of course, but that was the gist of it. And he bore that out in his first Summer League game: tons of threes, a great scoring game, but with every shot looking like he was passing away a baby that looked like it was about to chunder everywhere.
There’s no reason to “fix” it at this point, if such a thing is even possible (MKG doesn’t think it’s possible, and Markelle Fultz…). That’s how he’s going to shoot it, and if Shawn Marion could make a HOF-quality career out of his junky flick, so can Jackson. That’s how I see it. If you see it differently, maybe go and jack off to Jason Kapono’s shot form and totally forgettable NBA career.
But there’s more to Jackson’s game than his jumper form. Duh. He’s a big guy, and he can also do big guy things. Bully ball. Some of the shots where he got “fouled” were more like him “throwing elbows everywhere”, for sure. I like it. The league seems to be moving in a slightly softer direction, and a little variety is always nice. Bring back the Grit ‘N Grind!
Oh, and don’t believe the lies when the Grizzlies commentators claim he’s the youngest player in the NBA. He’s the youngest player to play so far this year, but when Isaac Bonga steps on the court after Lonzo Ball dies by [insert funny and topical death scenario here], Jackson will be relegated to second place. Just wanted to clear that up. Vince Carter is definitely still the oldest NBA player though. They didn’t lie about that.