Charlotte Hornets: 3 free agency targets from the Orlando bubble

Josh Jackson

Josh Jackson is only 23 years old, 3 years removed from being selected by the Phoenix Suns as the no.3 pick in the 2017 draft. The former Kansas wing stands 6’8″ with a 6’10” wingspan whilst blessed with speed, athleticism, and unique ballhandling ability.  After a rocky start to his NBA career, he has gotten his development back on track for the Grizzlies.

Last season, Jackson shot a healthy 38.2% from 3 on 6.5 attempts a game for the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate Memphis Hustle; this was a major improvement on his previous 2 years in Phoenix where he shot lower percentages on lesser volume.

This article by Nate Chester from Grizzly Bear Blues goes into great depth on Josh Jackson’s game, also expanding on other improvements on the defensive end and with regards to finishing at the rim. Furthermore, Jackson seems to have matured; this piece by The Undefeated’s Marc J Spears’ unveiled some powerful quotes:

"“I will never make the same mistake twice whether on the court or off the court, especially playing,” Jackson said. “I know I am good enough to be playing up there,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t do anything to my confidence or mentality. … When it happens, it will happen. I am not really in a rush to be there. I know I am good enough to be there and I can help the team out.”"

Jackson had numerous impressive performances for the Grizzlies after joining the main roster in February. However, the expected return of Justise Winslow in the Orlando bubble complicated an already tightly-packed Grizzlies rotation, detailed in this article by Grizzly Bear Blues. The author Joe Mullinax contended that Jackson would have to beat out one of the smartest players in the league, Kyle Anderson, just to crack the 10th spot in Taylor Jenkins’ 10 man rotation.

HOWEVER, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow never made it to the Orlando bubble, whilst Jaren Jackson Jr. tore his meniscus during the 3rd game of the Orlando bubble. Given Jackson’s overall upside and flexible game, he should’ve played a big role for Memphis in the bubble right?

Wrong. Josh Jackson played a total of 11 minutes and 10 seconds in the Orlando bubble as the Grizzlies fell out of the 8th seed position.

Regardless of the reasons Jackson didn’t make an impact in Orlando, he would be a tremendous fit with the Charlotte Hornets roster.  Jackson’s rebounding, ballhandling, and passing ability means he can initiate a fastbreak offense, which optimizes the Hornets’ roster of athletic players who like to leak out in transition. Furthermore, Jackson’s lateral quickness and length mean he can handle opposing perimeter threats too big for Malik Monk and too quick for Miles Bridges or Cody Martin.

Compared to Jalen McDaniels, who I wrote about here, Jackson provides a larger threat to attack the basket; for a Hornets team that struggled to penetrate and create quality offense at times, Jackson could be a boon.

Having another perimeter defender would also lead to the Charlotte Hornets further optimizing the defensive playmaking abilities of Monk, McDaniels, and Martin, freeing them up off-ball to help at the rim and cut off passing lanes.

Overall, I think Josh Jackson is one of the best targets for the Charlotte Hornets this off-season. Because of Jackson’s past indiscretions, there would be hesitation from most NBA teams to offer Jackson a long term deal; but given in recent times Mitch Kupchak has drafted Jalen McDaniels and thrown his support behind Malik Monk, I could see the Charlotte Hornets taking a chance here on the extremely talented young forward.