The post Ep 16: GG Jackson and Structured Growth appeared first on Swish Theory.

GG Jackson wants to be your team’s leading scorer. It doesn’t matter which team: GG is a bucket-getter, and at 6’9” (possible 6’10”) with fluid movement, soft touch and a physical frame, that translating to the NBA eventually is a good bet. In fact, it’s hard to imagine not taking a flyer on GG’s scoring upside in the lottery, as he has already shown growth in polishing his game to support his scoring regimen. Let’s break down the tape from the former #1 ranked player in the 2023 class in his early NCAA games, already one of the leading scorers in the SEC at not-yet 18.

GG Jackson’s strengths are scoring against a defense that is at least slightly tilted, though he can get decent looks when fully covered as well. The limiting factor on his upside so far is his polish, particularly with any complicated passing, handle or read within a play, but as the youngest player in college basketball and the NBA draft (recently reclassifying to a year younger), has all the time to refine these tools.

Jackson has been able to lead the Gamecocks in scoring (and 5^th overall in the SEC) despite some limitations in the flow of the South Carolina offense overall. GG often runs the floor hard or gets a post seal early, but is rarely rewarded with an entry pass and inaccurately when so. Instead, he is often left creating towards the end of the shot clock, where he has to depend on his size, agility and flow with the ball to manufacture a shot. This has led to some poor mid-range shooting percentages, but despite of it all has been able to finish 70% of his attempts at the rim with only 38% of makes assisted.

His touch near the basket is superb and he has shown impressive form from catch and shoot as well, 5-6 on no-dribble three-point attempts so far. Additionally, he can be aggressive with good timing on the offensive boards, fifth in the NCAA currently in putback points with an excellent 8-11 shooting on those attempts. GG’s strong core, dynamic athleticism and quick leaping all allow him to get decent looks, and he has the technical prowess to capitalize on these already.

The defense is very much a work in progress for GG, but most importantly, you can tell he is fighting to improve. Watching his high school tape you see why Jackson’s positioning needs quite a bit of work: he compiled easy blocks by helping from whatever position with his quick leaping, good hand-eye coordination and strength to hold position. With South Carolina, falling asleep early in possessions has been far more damaging, though there are signs of him improving already in the early season. Jackson often gets animated through a possession, may call out directions for teammates and fight through screens, taking his assignments personally. While it is rarely flawless, as his technique and awareness continue to need refining, you can see the outline of a good defender, especially when combined with his physical traits.

GG Jackson’s combination of scoring instinct and fluidity for size make him a lottery-level prospect. The biggest swing skill for him will be his passing, where GG has shown capability of making high-level passes but can get single-track minded when he gets the ball to score. On a team where he carries a large offensive burden, he is almost forced to lock in on his scoring reps at the expense of fitting in with the flow of the offense, though, to be fair, there is not much of that even when he does.

Should GG continue to improve his defensive awareness and learn, specifically, how to pass out of his own scoring gravity (even just consistently hitting skip passes out of drives), he has the potential to become selected as high as the top 5 next June.

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