With several Syracuse football grads struggling through the NFL lockout at the moment, let’s hope this year’s Orange in the NBA don’t have the same fate. Missing out on a team’s playbook for part of the offseason wouldn’t be as devastating for an NBA newbie as it is for an NFL first-year, but nobody wants two of the nation’s most popular leagues to halt at the same time, anyway.
- Fresh FizzCast: Broyld’s SU future, hoops staff hiring
Regardless of how things play out with the league‚Äôs labor discussions, one outgoing Syracuse basketball senior will continue to bust his butt until there is NBA basketball to be played. That’s Rick Jackson, who improved each year on the Hill through work, drive and desire.
It’s too bad Jackson’s hard work may go unrewarded. Several top draft services currently project the Philly product as going undrafted. At best, some mock drafts have him as a late second-round pick.
How did Jackson slip down the boards? Tough to say. Anyone who followed Orange basketball could see how vital Jackson was to the team this past season. The big man made his senior year his most accomplished, leading the Big East in rebounds and blocked shots. His elite defensive production and refined offensive game can both be traced to the work he did over the previous summer, getting his body into better shape. RJ realized that with Arinze Onuaku gone, and two raw freshman centers coming in to replace AO, he would be relied upon to anchor the SU frontcourt. That’s exactly what Jackson did, and it seemed like a given during the season that he was at the very least going to get drafted.
Maybe we should have seen this coming when the coaches snubbed Jackson and left him off the Big East first-team. It’s mind-boggling how Division I coaches, who are supposed to be hyper-aware of all the nuances to the game, could relegate RJ to the second-team. Rick averaged a double-double for the season, while no one else in the Big East came close to his rebounding numbers.
There’s a basketball saying, ‚Äúyou can‚Äôt fake rebounding.‚Äù That sounds appropriate here. We‚Äôre talking about the nation’s most vicious, cutthroat, physical college basketball conference, and a player that absolutely dominated the boards there. And yet, Jackson can‚Äôt crack a list of the top 60 players exiting the college ranks? That simply doesn‚Äôt make sense.
There are certainly holes in RJ’s game. He’s undersized at 6-foot-9. He still doesn’t have anything beyond the most basic of post moves, and can only finish consistently over much smaller players. There’s also that stigma associated with Boeheim’s 2-3 zone that tends to scare NBA executives away.
Having seen Jackson play defense for SU all year long, there were plenty of signs that his defensive excellence can translate to the next level. He proved he can block shots on the weak side and the strong side. He has the mobility to provide excellent help-defense and the strength to win interior one-on-one battles. RJ’s offensive game makes him appear a little rough around the edges. But he’s actually a far more complete player than he gets credit for.
It’s a good sign for Jackson that he got invited to the “big boy” NBA Draft Combine, featuring the country’s top draft prospects next week in Chicago. There was some excitement that he attended a workout workout hosted by the Nets last weekend, but it turns out that was for mostly NBDL-level participants.
There are no doubts here that RJ is an NBA player. He’s not as flashy as Jonny Flynn or Wes Johnson, but Rick could turn out to be a far more valuable NBA contributor than them if given a chance.
Posted: Andrew Kanell
8 responses to “Why NBA Execs Are Making A Huge Mistake With Syracuse’s Rick Jackson”
guy is a tweener, just doesn’t have the skills to be an nba player.
Undersized, only uses his right hand and no one really knows what type of defense he can play only playing in the 2-3 zone all his college career. Not surprised here. Also, besides melo, there hasnt been a good cuse player to come out in years.
He should go undrafted. Doesnt have range outside of 5 feet, no right hand, cant dribble, and at 6’9″ doesnt have the size to bang down low with NBA centers. Look at current NBA PF’s like Nowitzki and Zach randolph, who rick would be guarding. Both have more size, better dribbling, better shooting range, and can consistently hit free throws at about a 80-90% clip. If Jackson makes a team, he will either be on the end of the bench for a few years, or be playing overseas. Nice guy, I’ve had classes with him, just doesn’t have the skill. Dont let your SU bias cloud your judgement
Guys,
I understand the skepticism. But you don’t just lead the Big East in rebounding by accident. I’m not saying Rick will ever be an NBA starter, but I do think he’s an NBA player. Obviously he doesn’t compare to Dirk Nowitzki and Zach Randolph. Dirk is an all-time great and Randolph is an All-Star caliber post player. That’s not who RJ needs to be though.
We’ve seen it a billion times before with underrated “tweeners” who end up making it because of hustle and effort. Paul Millsap, Craig Smith, Joel Anthony, Leon Powe, Glen Davis – there are tons of examples.
Rick to me fits perfectly as a glue guy off the bench who can mix it up and control the boards. As for his defense, like the article says he’s actually quite the complete player in that department. He’s got strength, and by frequently playing the wing in the zone showed he has the quickness to play help defense at an NBA level.
I’ll be pulling for him but I don’t think this analysis comes with any orange-colored glasses on, either. It’s just my objective opinion.
Wow. There are some pretty ignorant posts here by people who obviously aren’t old enough to understand the sport of basketball. For every Dirk Nowitzki or Zach Randolph, there’s 50 other guys who have a job in the NBA because they work hard and play good fundamental basketball. There’s a spot on every NBA roster for a guy who rebounds, plays good defense, and works hard. RJ’s proven all of that. I don’t remember Hakim Warrick having range beyond 5ft, or a body that could bang on the inside, but guess what? He was a decent defender who worked hard and was long enough to throw it down in the paint. Got him a job in the NBA. Did Etan Thomas ever hit a jumper in college?! Look it doesn’t surprise me that he’s projected as a second rounder at best, it surprises me that anyone could doubt his potential at the next level to contribute. 98% of NBA players don’t play in the All-Star Game folks, and 100% of the players who try to defend Dirk and Zach can’t do it either. “He only uses his right hand…he has no right hand…Melo was the last good player to come out of SU…” Just ignorance.
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