Justin Jackson (UNC) Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Diallo, Swanigan, Lakers, Jackson

May 15th, 2017 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hamidou Diallo’s decision to pass on playing 5-on-5 games at the Draft Combine may have actually helped his stock, Adam Zagoria of the New York Times reports. Diallo didn’t play after enrolling at Kentucky in January and was advised to sit out the 5-on-5 games, Zagoria continues. Wildcats coach John Calipari said that by remaining a sort of mystery man, Diallo has made himself more intriguing, as he expressed to Zagoria and media members. “They all like you without watching you. Good,” Calipari said. “The more you don’t play, the more they like you, the more they’re impressed.” The 6’5” shooting guard is currently rated No. 38 by DraftExpress and No. 35 by ESPN’s Chad Ford.

In other draft-related developments:

Purdue forward Caleb Swanigan isn’t sure if he’ll remain in the draft, he told Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star and other media members. Swanigan worked out with the Pacers on Monday. “It’s really hard,” Swanigan said of his impending decision. He’s currently ranked No. 29 by DraftExpress and No. 31 by Ford.
The Lakers stand out as the team that could lose the most in Tuesday’s draft lottery because of their trade obligations, as ESPN’s Ford and Kevin Pelton discuss. The Sixers could be the biggest winners with the opportunity to land two of the top four picks, as the duo explains. The Magic are another team with plenty at stake, according to Pelton, as they could lose a future first-rounder owed by Lakers and have to settle for a couple of second-round picks.
Participating in the Draft Combine last year helped North Carolina’s Justin Jackson, as he expressed to Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Jackson, a junior, has seen his stock rise dramatically after returning to school for his junior season as he credits the Combine for helping him improve his game. “The feedback I got last year… I took that extremely serious,” he told Hamilton. Jackson, a 6’8” swingman, is expected to be a mid- to late-first rounder. He’s ranked No 13 by DraftExpress and No. 25 by Ford.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Combine, Singler, Jazz

May 12th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Northwest division is no longer represented in the playoffs following Utah’s elimination earlier this week, but Northwest teams will face plenty of key decisions this offseason as they look to improve their rosters. Here’s the latest out of the division…

The Timberwolves are formally interviewing a number of prospects this week at the draft combine in Chicago, including Kentucky’s Bam Adebayo and UNC’s Justin Jackson, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter links). Minnesota is in line for the No. 6 pick heading into the lottery — Adebayo and Jackson aren’t expected to be selected that high, but the team is doing its due diligence.
Kyle Singler has two more fully guaranteed years left on his contract with the Thunder, but his future with the franchise remains unclear, writes Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. As Dawson notes, Singler was virtually non-existent for Oklahoma City this past season, and will be a candidate to be traded or waived.
If the Jazz were to re-sign key free agents like Gordon Hayward, George Hill, and Joe Ingles, they’d likely remain a top-four team in the Western Conference going forward, says Brad Rock of The Deseret News. However, given how quickly the club was dispatched by the Warriors, Rock believes it will take more than standing pat for Utah to move toward legit title contention.
With Hill and Shelvin Mack facing free agency and Dante Exum and Raul Neto entering the final year of their respective contracts, the Jazz will face some tough decisions at the point guard position this summer, as Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News details.

Draft Notes: Jackson, Bulls, Sixers

May 11th, 2017 at 7:09pm CST by ChrisCrouse

UNC’s Justin Jackson would be happy to play for any team in the league, but he believes he could help the Bulls on both ends of the floor, as Adam Zagoria relays for The Herald Sun.

“I can shoot the ball pretty well, which helps with spacing,” Jackson said. “Defensively, I can do a few things and so you kind of add both of those into it. At the end of the day, the Bulls are a great organization already but if I’m blessed to be drafted by them or whoever it might be, I can add a few things to it.”

The small forward is the 13th best prospect in the upcoming draft, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, and Chicago owns the No.16 overall pick.

Here’s more notes leading up to the June 22 event:

The Pistons struggled from behind the arc this year and Ansar Khan of Mlive wonders if Jackson could be a fit because of his improved 3-point shot. The small forward shot 29.2% from behind the arc as a sophomore, but he increased it to 37.0% last season. Detroit is currently slotted in the 12th spot, but the team has a chance to move up during Tuesday’s lottery.
Former NC State coach Mike Gottfried believes Dennis Smith Jr. would be a great fit on the Sixers next to Ben Simmons, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “I think he has a chance to become an elite-level guard in time in the NBA,” Gottfried said of Smith Jr. “I personally think with Ben [Simmons] healthy that the two of them together would be quite an amazing combination. I think their skills actually complement each other.”
Markelle Fultz will meet with several teams during the combine, but the Magic won’t be among them, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. Orlando has an 8.8% chance at landing the No.1 overall pick.

Heat Notes: Wade, Bosh, J. Johnson, Draft

May 6th, 2017 at 7:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Udonis Haslem and Tyler Johnson made a public appearance today to help Dwyane Wade sell sneakers, but they avoided questions about whether their former teammate might rejoin them with the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Wade is considering whether to opt out of his $23.8MM contract with the Bulls for next season. If he does, many believe he will decide to return to Miami, where he spent his first 13 seasons. Haslem and Johnson have both been in touch with Wade since Chicago was eliminated from the playoffs last week. “He’s going to have to make the best decision for him,” Johnson said. “I know he wants to be in a situation where he’s playing for a team that’s kind of established. I don’t think he wants to go through a rebuilding process.”
There’s more news out of Miami:

The Heat are expected to petition the league office soon to have Chris Bosh‘s salary removed from their cap. Bosh was kept on the roster all season after failing a physical in training camp over blood clot problems that have plagued him for the past two seasons. Haslem tells Winderman in the same story that he has contacted Bosh but hasn’t discussed his NBA future. “Chris is one of those guys, when he puts his mind it, he can do anything,” Haslem said. “So he doesn’t lack opportunity. He’s going to have a lot of opportunity to do a lot of things. He’s a very well-rounded guy. And whatever he does, he’s going to be great at it.” If Bosh is able to play enough games for another team, his $52MM salary would be put back onto the Heat’s cap.
Free agent forward James Johnson may not be guaranteed a starting job if he
re-signs with the Heat this summer, Winderman speculates in another piece. With Dion Waiters and Goran Dragic both starting, Johnson may give Miami too many
players on the court at the same time who need to handle the ball. Also, Justise Winslow may claim one of the starting forward slots
when he returns from injury.
Winderman examines who the Heat might take if they keep the No. 14 pick in the May 16th lottery. Players who have been linked to Miami in that spot include Duke’s Harry Giles, UCLA’s T.J.
Leaf, North Carolina’s Justin Jackson, California’s Ivan Rabb, Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac, Gonzaga’s Zach Collins, Indiana’s OG Anunoby, Duke’s Luke Kennard, Wake Forest’s John Collins and two overseas players, Terrence
Ferguson of Australia and Frank Ntilikina of France.

Draft Notes: Lottery, Fox, Tatum, J. Jackson

May 5th, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

While this year’s draft class features a clear-cut top two in Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball, the consensus rankings breaks down after that, says ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link). As Ford explains, some teams would likely target Kansas forward Josh Jackson with the No. 3 pick, but others – like the Sixers, Magic, Timberwolves, and Knicks – may be more inclined to nab Kentucky sharpshooter Malik Monk once Fultz and Ball are off the board.

Jackson or Monk come in at No. 3 for most of the lottery teams, Ford writes that Dennis Smith Jr. might be the best fit for the Nuggets after the two top point guards. Meanwhile, Ford also suggests that Ball could be a better fit than Fultz for some teams near the top of the lottery, including the Lakers, who “appear to be enamored” with the UCLA product.

Here are a few more draft-related notes worth rounding up:

Most of this year’s top 10 prospects won’t be in Chicago next week for the NBA’s draft combine, but De’Aaron Fox is expected to attend, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Outside of Fox, Markelle Fultz is the only other top prospect whose combine intentions haven’t been reported, though it would be a surprise if Fultz participated.
Duke prospect Jayson Tatum isn’t getting any real buzz as a candidate to be picked first overall, but in an appearance on The Sidelines podcast with Evan Daniels, Tatum made the case for why he should be.
North Carolina’s Justin Jackson has officially gone pro, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility by hiring agent Jim Tanner, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Jackson is viewed as a potential lottery pick.

UNC’s Justin Jackson Enters 2017 NBA Draft

April 13th, 2017 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

North Carolina forward Justin Jackson has entered the 2017 NBA draft and won’t withdraw his name before next month’s deadline, the school announced today in a press release. Jackson will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility.

Jackson tested the draft waters a year ago but decided to return to UNC for his junior year. That decision ended up paying off, as the 2017 ACC Player of the Year helped lead the Tar Heels to a national championship this spring. With another year of college ball under his belt, the 22-year-old tells Evan Daniels of Scout.com that he feels like the time is right to go pro.

“I think I put myself in a pretty decent position,” Jackson said. “I can obviously still get better in a bunch of different area. I think I put myself in one of the best positions I could be in. I accomplished a lot while I was here winning a national championship and I just felt like ending it that way and moving along. I felt like it was the right time.”

Jackson is currently the 14th-best prospect on DraftExpress’ big board, and No. 27 on Chad Ford’s list at ESPN.com. Ford notes that some scouts are still on the fence about Jackson’s NBA potential, but a consistent three-point shot in 2016/17 brought many scouts around on him as a mid-first-round pick.

After making just 29.7% of his long-distance attempts in his first two college seasons, Jackson shot 37.0% on three-pointers this season, to go along with averages of 18.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.8 APG.

Jackson’s UNC teammate Tony Bradley is also testing the draft waters this year.

Draft Notes: UNC, Jackson, Enechionyia

April 3rd, 2017 at 10:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Congratulations to the North Carolina Tarheels for winning the National Championship! Coach Roy Williams has now brought home three championships since arriving at Chapel Hill and he’s done so without having a single NBA All-Star come through the program. In tonight’s Community Shootaround, we asked who’s the best NBA player Williams has ever coached at UNC?

Justin Jackson may earn his way into the conversation once he enters the league, as he’s expected to be a top-10 pick if he decides to declare for the draft. That decision should come over the next few days and as we wait for that news, check out some notes on the upcoming draft:

Obi Enechionyia will declare for the draft, but will not hire an agent, Marc Narducci of Philly.com relays. The Temple Owl explains his reason for declaring. “I didn’t see any negative in doing this, and I thought why not,” Enechionyia said. “I know my parents and some old coaches have talked to a few teams and scouts and I know there are some teams that are interested in me.”
USC guard Shaqquan Aaron has declared for the NBA Draft, E. Carchia of Sportando relays. Aaron has not hired an agent.
Wright State’s Mark Alstork has declared for the draft but has also not hired an agent, according to Jay Morrison of the Dayton Daily News. The guard averaged 19.0 points during his junior season, which led the team.

Draft Notes: Richardson, Jackson, Hield

May 16th, 2016 at 9:25pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Shooting guard Malachi Richardson, who saw his stock rise higher than any other player during the combine, will not return to Syracuse. He will remain in the draft after hiring Andy Miller of ASM Sports, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Though, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that Richardson will sign with Stephen Pina of ASM Sports.

“Deciding to stay in the draft was a family decision and [I] thought it was a great one. Doing what was best for me was the most important thing,” Richardson said to Goodman (ESPN Now link).

Richardson entered the draft last month, but had not hired an agent at that time. Chad Ford of ESPN.com has Richardson at No. 13 in his rankings. He’s the 37th best prospect, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

Justin Jackson has withdrawn his name from the NBA draft and he will return to North Carolina for his junior season, Goodman passes along (Twitter link).
Ian Baker tells Goodwin (Twitter link) that he has decided to withdraw from the draft and return to New Mexico State.
The Celtics are expected to address the backcourt should they fall outside the top-2 in the lottery and sources tell Chad Ford of ESPN.com that they are tempted by Buddy Hield. Ford adds that Hield would be ready to step in and play right away.
The Celtics are expected to workout power forward Abdul-Malik Abu on Wednesday, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets. Abu is expected to withdraw from the draft before the deadline and return to NC State.

Draft Updates: Ferrell, Ndiaye, Moore, Hawks

May 9th, 2016 at 4:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

A major draft-related event takes place this week, as scouts, executives and these prospects will gather for the NBA combine in Chicago from Wednesday through Sunday. Teams will start working out players in earnest after that, though some auditions have already taken place. Here’s the latest on that front with the June 23rd draft little more than six weeks away:

The workouts that former Indiana University point guard Yogi Ferrell has with the Lakers and Clippers are slated for May 16th and 18th, respectively, tweets Jonathan Goodman of ESPN.com, advancing an earlier report from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Ferrell will also work out for the Suns on the 20th, Jazz on the 22nd, Bulls on the 23rd, Hawks on the 25th, Mavericks on the 26th, Pistons on the 31st, Wizards on June 2nd, Nets on June 8th, and Knicks on June 10th, Goodman reveals. Ferrell is trying to work his way into the second round, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him No. 66 while Chad Ford of ESPN.com rates him only 99th.
Massive UC Irvine center Mamadou Ndiaye will work out for the Rockets and Lakers, Goodman tweets. Givony, who ranks him the 30th-best prospect among juniors, lists Ndiaye at 7’6″, while Goodman says he’s 7’5″. Ford, who also lists him at 7’6″, ranks him the 136th-best prospect overall.
Utah State small forward Jalen Moore will work out with the Grizzlies on May 16th, the Timberwolves on the 18th and the Nets on the 23rd, as he tells Goodman (Twitter link). Moore is Givony‘s 69th-best junior and Ford‘s 190th prospect overall.
The Hawks worked out Taurean Prince, Justin Jackson, Nigel Hayes, Pascal Siakam, Alex Hamilton and Wes Washpun on Saturday, a source told Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link).

UNC’s Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks To Test Draft

April 22nd, 2016 at 2:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

North Carolina sophomore small forward Justin Jackson and junior center Kennedy Meeks will enter this year’s draft, but they will do so without hiring agents so they can retain their college eligibility, the school announced. Jackson is the 64th-best prospect on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress board, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him only 126th. Meeks is right behind him at No. 127 in Ford’s listings, while Givony, whose top overall prospect rankings only go to No. 100, views his stock more optimistically for next year, pegging him 47th in his 2017 mock draft. Jackson and Meeks can return to college ball if they withdraw by May 25th, as long as they don’t hire agents before then.

Jackson, a 6’8″ 21-year-old, was highly touted coming out of high school in 2014, when he was ninth in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, sandwiched between 2015 first-round NBA draft picks Kelly Oubre and Rashad Vaughn. The past two years have seen Jackson’s stock slip as he’s posted underwhelming numbers for the Tar Heels, with just 12.2 points and 3.9 rebounds to his credit in 28.4 minutes per game this past season. He shot only 29.2% from 3-point range, a slight decline from his 30.4% accuracy as a freshman.

Meeks, who’s also 21, is only 6’9″ and has struggled with his weight, with Givony listing him at 279 pounds. Meeks arrived at UNC with less promise than Jackson did, ranking just 56th in the 2013 RSCI, and the past season represented a regression for him as he experienced declines in minutes, field goal percentage, scoring and most other categories. He averaged 9.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game. Still, his strength and skilled post play are commodities, according to Ford.