Josh Jackson flashed some serious passing ability only seven games into his college career. The Kansas freshman dropped one of his best dimes on Tuesday night against Long Beach State, when he hit teammate Svi Mykhailiuk with a beautiful bounce pass for a transition score:
Jackson entered college as the No. 1 recruit in the country according to the RSCI, but his passing ability didn’t receive as much attention as the other parts of his game. The 6’8 wing was mostly noted for his athleticism, his competitiveness, and his potential to be a lockdown defender. It’s starting to become clear he’s a polished playmaker, too.
Jackson is currently posting an assist rate of 20.2. To put that in perspective, Andrew Wiggins — the player Jackson is most often compared to — only had a 9.2 assist rate during his one-and-done season in Lawrence. Jackson has springs in his legs, but he’s a cut below Wiggins in terms of sheer explosiveness. He’s making up for it with a better feel for the game.
Here’s a supercut of some of Jackson’s best passes this year, with video courtesy of YouTuber Frank Vision:
Jackson is currently projected to go No. 3 overall in the 2017 NBA draft by DraftExpress. Kansas is No. 4 in the AP Poll right now. There’s going to be a lot of talk about Jackson during the Jayhawks’ NCAA Tournament run in March and NBA draft season in June, so you better get familiar with him now.