NBA Draft Rumors: Jaren Jackson Jr.'s Stock Rising After 'Monster' Suns Workout
Jaren Jackson Jr.'s stock is surging ahead of the 2018 NBA draft on June 21, and teams may be looking to move into the top four in order to select the Michigan State Spartans forward, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday.
According to Wojnarowski, Jackson had a "monster" workout with the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. As a result, the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies, who have the second, third and fourth picks, respectively, could be fielding even more trade offers from teams looking to add Jackson.
Regardless of what they do, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie argued the Kings, Hawks and Grizzlies are in a great position to upgrade their squads on draft night:
Jackson averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in his only season at Michigan State. He also showed an ability to expand his offensive game to the perimeter, hitting 39.6 percent of his three-point opportunities.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman unveiled his most recent mock draft Monday, and he projected Jackson to go fifth overall to the Dallas Mavericks. Wasserman wrote Jackson "checks the boxes teams are looking for in bigs, being that he's interchangeable and switchable, plus he'll protect the rim and stretch the floor."
Many expect the Phoenix Suns to select Deandre Ayton with the first overall pick. After that, it's seemingly a crapshoot, with Jackson among a group of prospects including Luka Doncic, Mohamed Bamba, Marvin Bagley III and Trae Young that shake out any number of ways in the top five.
