re: Frank Jackson Highlights: This is How We Do It

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Frank Jackson, Pelicans Making it as a second-round pick is as much about opportunity as it is talent, and few guys taken in the second round will have more of a chance than Jackson, and not just because he was taken at no. 31. The Hornets originally made the selection as part of their trade for Dwight Howard, but they ended up selling the pick to the Pelicans in exchange for moving back to no. 40. New Orleans has a desperate need for size, 3-point shooting, and athleticism on the perimeter, and Jackson provides all three in spades. He may not provide much else, but the Pelicans can’t afford to be choosy, not with Jrue Holiday set to enter free agency.

At last year’s McDonald’s All American Game, Jackson won the MVP award and the dunk contest, and a lot was expected of him at Duke. However, the team never coalesced due to injuries from both their roster and Coach K, and Jackson never really got into much of a groove playing with so many other ball-dominant players like Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, and Grayson Allen. With five-star point guard Trevon Duval coming to Durham next season, Jackson saw the writing on the wall and declared for the draft, despite putting up only mediocre stats this season.

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds with a 6-foot-7 wingspan, Jackson is a shooting guard in a point guard’s body, and he will need to prove he is a better playmaker than he showed at Duke if he’s ever going to be given the chance to run a team. The good news for the Pelicans is that he’s at his best when he’s jacking 3s off the dribble, which is exactly what they need. After the trade deadline, there were a lot of games where no one else besides Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins had to be guarded. At the very least, Jackson should provide some scoring punch off the bench. He may never be anything more than Jerryd Bayless, but a young Bayless would be a perfect fit in New Orleans.

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