Charlotte Hornets NBA Draft Profile: Isaiah Jackson

The Charlotte Hornets own their own first-round pick (11) and are owed second-round picks from the Brooklyn Nets (57) and the Los Angeles Clippers (56). Over the next couple of months, leading up to the 2021 NBA Draft, Swarm & Sting will take a look at prospects hoping to hear their name called on draft night.

Kentucky big man Isaiah Jackson enters this draft as one of the most explosive athletes in the class. Jackson brings elite rim-running and potential shot-blocking ability to the floor and is a player Hornets fans should keep a close eye on as they look to fill their glaring hole at the center position.

Age: 19

Height: 6’10”

Weight: 206 lbs

Stats/Awards

Jackson didn’t exactly fill up the stat sheet during his time at Kentucky but he does have one of the most fun highlight tapes in this draft. He averaged 8.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game on shooting splits of 54/0/70. Yes, 0% from three. While underwhelming stats, Jackson performed well enough to earn himself honors with 1st team SEC All-Defense and 1st team SEC All-Freshman.

Primary Strengths

Jackson is going to make his money off of his elite athleticism. This is a player who explodes when attacking the rim. He’s a constant lob threat and is almost always playing above the rim.

Jackson runs the floor very well and should be an excellent rim runner at the next level. He’s got an extremely high motor and is playing at 110% from start to finish. Jackson has got some more offensive upside in his face-up game with mid-range pull-ups and the ability to get to the basket using his athleticism.

Defensively Jackson is a natural shot blocker. You can see in the way he plays that he’s very eager to swat at almost anything that comes into the paint, and he can be very successful doing so. Jackson averaged 2.6 blocks per game. If he can improve his fundamentals and decision-making here, he can be a very successful rim protector at the next level.

Jackson projects as a player who can guard all five positions if need be. He showcased his ability to stay with guards on the perimeter and battle forwards and centers down low at Kentucky.

Primary Weaknesses

While Jackson’s high motor and willingness to block shots can be beneficial it can also be one of his downfalls. Jackson struggled to keep his fouls in order as he averaged 3.0 a game (5.6 per 40 mins). He’ll struggle to even stay on the court if this issue remains.

Jackson was able to make up for his foul issues with his elite athleticism, but his fundamentals and overall decision-making can be very poor on the defensive end.

Offensively, Jackson is a massive project. The lob threat and rim-running are there, but there is very little to hold on to beyond that. He doesn’t possess a post-game that would worry the opposite team and he can’t stretch the floor as shown by his 0% three-point percentage.

While Jackson is uber-athletic, his size and weight leave us with concern that he’ll struggle to defend bigger, more traditional centers and won’t be a real threat offensively as he likely won’t be able to force the defense to respect him on the perimeter.

Draft Projection

Jackson currently projects to fall anywhere between the mid-lottery and the 20s. He doesn’t necessarily have the desired traits that I would look for in a big man prospect in the lottery.

Jackson is a name many Hornets fans are lobbying for with the 11th overall pick. There’s a very good chance he’ll be there when Charlotte is on the clock, however, unless it was a trade-back scenario, I would be underwhelmed if Jackson were the pick. He does fill a major hole with his shot-blocking and interior defense potential, but I think his size, lack of an offensive game, and inability to stretch the floor make him a player that we should look at late in the first and not at 11.

He was LaMelo Ball’s teammate at SPIRE in high school, so there’s familiarity and chemistry in that regard, but considering who else could be available for the Hornets, I’d suggest looking in another direction at 11.

The 2021 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, July 29 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The draft will be televised on ABC (first-round only) and ESPN.