2017 power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. has been dripping with potential since he entered high school. Jackson displayed his complete skill set this week against Lapel. It was evidence that his potential was transforming into production. Here's an update with Jackson including an upcoming visit.
Jaren Jackson Jr. has been growing rapidly throughout his high school career – physically and on the court. It appears his physical growth has finally started to slow down as he is in the 6'9” or 6'10” range. His growth as a basketball player is still in its infancy. Jackson's basketball peak is still many years away.
Against Lapel, Jackson showed what type of player that he could be in the years to come. He had a major height advantage in the post and he made some smooth post moves showing footwork and a soft touch. Jackson made a couple of steals on the defensive end then led the Park Tudor break. There was once instance where he led the break and finished with a dunk through a foul. It was a strong move that displayed his progression as a player. He wouldn't have been able to dunk through contact last year, let alone while handling the ball full court.
The improvement of Jackson is easy to see through his high school statistics. As a freshman, he played spot minutes for a very good team. He averaged just over one point per game. Jackson became a starter as a sophomore. He showed flashes of his ability and potential while averaging nine points, six rebounds and two blocks per game. Now as a junior, Jackson is averaging 16.5 points, eight rebounds and 4.5 blocks each outing.
Often times, players will see increases like the ones that were pointed out about Jackson through an increase in shots. Jackson has increased his attempts while improving his efficiency. After shooting just 29% on 41 three-point attempts as a sophomore, Jackson is shooting 45% on 47 attempts so far this season. He is also shooting 80% from the free-throw line.
College coaches have been salivating over Jaren Jackson Jr. for a few years now. That is why he has 10 high-major scholarship offers including most of the Big Ten. He is keeping his options open right now.
“I'm going to the Vanderbilt-Kentucky game (Saturday) to see Vanderbilt,” said Jaren Jackson Jr. “Recently, I went to Michigan State. That was good, it was good to talk to [Tom] Izzo again.”
Maryland is a team that has not extended an offer yet, but they have been showing interest in the 2017 prospect of late.
“I talk to coach Warren and coach Turgeon daily. They call me all the time,” said Jackson. “They ask me about my game. They are always on me.”
Jackson also stated that he talks to Indiana's Tom Crean frequently. The Hoosiers are staying in the picture as much as possible.
It will be fascinating to see the strides that Jackson makes from now to July when he will be battling the nation's best on the travel circuit. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jackson make another two or three big steps forward by that time as he continues to transform potential into production.