Pierre Jackson’s NBA career to date has had more twists and turns than the entire Game Of Thrones TV series. From being selected as the 42nd pick by the Sixers to injury woes plaguing his every move. However, things may well be on the up for the former development league star. Sam Hinkie signed the injured Jackson for a year, essentially covering all rehab costs and yesterday, a four year deal was announced.
Jackson took to the court last night in the Sixers’ summer league loss against the Brooklyn Nets, scoring nine points and picking up five rebounds. If that didn’t raise your eyebrows, he is currently averaging 12 points per game with a 50% success rate when shooting from beyond the ark. For someone who has been through as much as him, he’s certainly trying to make his career a true fairytale story. Last night marked his third game in a year and he performed better than some regulars on the team.
His confidence never dropped and despite the spotlights being placed so heavily on Jahlil Okafor, he was still turning heads. Reinforcing what many coaches already believed, Jackson does have huge potential. The Sixers didn’t have to pay his rehab costs, or sign him to that one year deal. But in return they now have a much bigger deal with an exciting point guard at very low cost who could be cut loose easily if he fails but sees a fantastic bargain if he soars with the Sixers.
It’s obvious that there are plans for Jackson to play some NBA games this season. Whilst unselfish as a player, his quickness and explosiveness mean he has no issue when creating chances for himself. But that explosiveness that saw him put up 712 points in his final season in College has just not quite been the same since his injury woes.
When you look at the Sixers depth chart, Canaan and Ish Smith would be seen as the main competition for Jackson with Teague providing an added threat. His main drawback is his height. The 5″10 point guard makes up for it with some impressive bursts and great shooting from in deep. He isn’t regarded as an elite prospect by any stretch of the imagination but for Philadelphia, it’s a low risk and high reward move.
