Projected Lottery Pick Isaiah Jackson To Stay In Draft
Kentucky freshman power forward Isaiah Jackson will remain in the pool for the 2021 NBA draft, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
The 6’10” Jackson could be a late-lottery pick. The 19-year-old is projected as the No. 11 selection on ESPN’s big board. Givony adds that Jackson has hired an agent, and will forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility for an opportunity at the next level.
“All the feedback from teams has been good,” Jackson told ESPN. “People are saying lottery, which is what I wanted. That’s one of the main reasons I’m declaring, so my agent can get involved and speak on my behalf in terms of negotiating and making sure he can get me to the right team.”
“I want to do camps and autograph signings to get some money in my pocket,” Jackson added. “In order to set that up I need to be fully declared.”
During his lone college season with Kentucky, Jackson averaged 8.6 PPG (on 55% field goal shooting), 6.6 RPG and 2.1 BPG across 21 minutes per contest. Givony notes that the athletic Jackson’s growth during the season as a rim runner and pick-and-roll finisher bodes well for his two-way potential.
On defense, Jackson was an excellent rebounder and boasted an elite 12.7% shot-blocking percentage that put him in the heady company of recent Wildcats-turned-pros Anthony Davis and Nerlens Noel. Jackson made the All-Freshman and All-Defensive SEC teams for the 2020/21 season.
Kentucky’s Isaiah Jackson Enters 2021 NBA Draft
Potential lottery pick Isaiah Jackson has announced that he’ll enter his name into the 2021 NBA draft pool, according to a press release from Kentucky. The freshman power forward is testing the waters and won’t sign with an agent for the time being.
“Playing in the NBA has always been a dream of mine growing up,” Jackson said in a statement. “It has always been something that, with the right opportunity, I would pursue. … No matter what I ultimately decide, this place will always hold a special place in my heart.”
In his first – and possibly only – season with the Wildcats, Jackson averaged 8.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and an impressive 2.6 BPG in 25 games (20.7 MPG). In his scouting report, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony refers to Jackson as one of the best athletes in the college game who is a defensive difference-maker and has some offensive upside.
Givony and fellow ESPN draft guru Mike Schmitz currently have Jackson ranked 12th on their big board of 2021 prospects.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the revamped NBA schedule, there’s still no set of deadlines in place for when early entrants must declare for the draft and when they’ll have to make final decisions on their draft eligibility. An update on those dates and deadlines should come sometime soon.