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UConn’s Andre Jackson Jr. will enter the 2023 NBA Draft, while also retaining his eligibility to play next season
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated2 hours ago on April 24, 2024
Andre Jackson Jr. and the UConn Huskies dominated the NCAA tournament. All six of their games were won by double-digits and UConn outclassed every opponent they faced. His unselfishness as a player elevated his team and he was a pivotal force in their dominance this postseason. While still retaining his eligibility for next season, Jackson Jr. will be entering the 2023 NBA Draft according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
Jackson Jr. was a two-year starter with the Huskies and his epic tournament run might have helped make him a potential first-round pick. He plans on attending the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, Illinois this May and then until May 31 to decide if he’s staying in the draft or returning to UConn next season.
His teammates Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins have already declared for the 2023 NBA Draft.
ESPN Sources: University of Connecticut junior Andre Jackson Jr., — a driving force in the Huskies’ national championship run – plans to enter the NBA Draft in June but retain his college eligibility: https://t.co/OV8atTWOpG
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 18, 2023
Andre Jackson Jr. is entering the 2023 NBA Draft
The six-foot-six Amsterdam, NY native is a unique player in college basketball and has a ton of traits that scouts are looking for at the next level. One part of his game holding him back is his three-point shooting. Jackson Jr. was all over the place with his three-point percentages in three seasons played with UConn. His best three-point season was (.361) in 2021-22, but he shot an awful (.118) percent from deep in 2020-21.
Despite that, Jackson Jr. still does plenty of other things at a high level that still makes him a worthy first-round pick. Shooting is always something that he can take the individual time to get better at. Plenty of stars have come into the league as shaky shooters and have developed into consistent scorers. Take Kawhi Leonard for example.
Coming out of the draft his biggest flaw is that he could not shoot and it’s something he’s perfected over time. Now Leonard is one of the most consistent scorers in the league when healthy. Jackson Jr. is most comfortable in a point-forward role as he’s an excellent defender and rebounder who also has a knack for setting up his teammates.
