Josh Jackson

[Mainstreet]

Knight.

Thanks.

It's good to see Knight having fun with Jackson. If it had been Payton in the hoodie it would have showed some camaraderie with Chriss and Jackson getting haircuts. Hopefully he is a part of this but I haven't heard anything about him working out with other Suns players. I'd like to keep Payton under the right circumstances.

 

[Hoop Head]

Slam has a good article with Josh Jackson about his rookie year and what to look forward to moving ahead. He talks about representing the team at the lottery, agreeing with Booker about being done with missing the playoffs, what he thinks Ayton adds to the team, etc. It's a little long but it's a really good read.

There's definitely a lot to like about this next generation of Suns players. Booker, JJ, Ayton, Bridges, and Okobo. All charismatic young players with a ton of potential. They're all likable, which is kind of weird. I guess it's good we got Chriss and Bender as scapegoats because it'd be hard to find one without them on the roster. I like Dudley and Chandler also, as veteran leaders, if they were cheaper I'd like them a lot more though.


https://www.slamonline.com/nba/on-the-rise-josh-jackson/

 

[Skratchy_Seal]

It's a good article, and it sounds like he has a good plan moving towards next season and beyond. I really liked Triano, but I'm excited about what this new coaching can do with this group.

Anyone else notice Amare sitting courtside in the photo of the Heat game?

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[Raindog]

That's Amare? I thought it was Bob Marley?

 

[leclerc]

Yes, he looks that way now, but he's still a great guy... No he's the frigging best!

 

[Hoop Head]

Thankfully Amare isn't on our team with that hair right now. Who knows how he would be accepted. I know he said he wanted to make an NBA comeback somewhat recently but until he visits a barber, we don't have the roster space.

 

[Mainstreet]

Only speaking for myself, I do not have a problem with a player's haircut unless it obstructs their vision.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Slam has a good article with Josh Jackson about his rookie year and what to look forward to moving ahead. He talks about representing the team at the lottery, agreeing with Booker about being done with missing the playoffs, what he thinks Ayton adds to the team, etc. It's a little long but it's a really good read.

There's definitely a lot to like about this next generation of Suns players. Booker, JJ, Ayton, Bridges, and Okobo. All charismatic young players with a ton of potential. They're all likable, which is kind of weird. I guess it's good we got Chriss and Bender as scapegoats because it'd be hard to find one without them on the roster. I like Dudley and Chandler also, as veteran leaders, if they were cheaper I'd like them a lot more though.


https://www.slamonline.com/nba/on-the-rise-josh-jackson/

Article says he is planning on point guard more. He is working on his handle. Actually, that is an intriguing prospect. JJ has a really good handle already. He is an excellent passer and has a great BBIQ. He can also defend the pg position. I would be in favor of trying this.

 

[Hoop Head]

Article says he is planning on point guard more. He is working on his handle. Actually, that is an intriguing prospect. JJ has a really good handle already. He is an excellent passer and has a great BBIQ. He can also defend the pg position. I would be in favor of trying this.

So am I. It also says he plans on adding about 10 pounds of muscle. I assumed he'd be playing more PF next year, not PG, but the weight gain really doesn't point towards one or the other. He's slim right now and could use the extra muscle. He mentioned how it took him a while to understand the sort of diet an NBA player needs to maintain because they lose a lot of water weight frequently. That 10 pounds is probably just to get him to a weight that he's comfortable with daily rather than a reflection of how he'll play.

Jackson learning to play some PG is not a bad thing. The best thing for the Suns going forward is to have as many players as possible comfortable playing some PG, even if they're not used there often. We need to find the PG of the Future and having 3 or 4 players on the court who can play PG together could make the offense quite interesting.

Bender also played some PG during last years Summer League and played some PG in Europe also. Having him run the offense in the halfcourt as the "PG" could help further expand our offensive flexibility. Bender's court vision and BB-IQ are high enough that he could play a few minutes or possession as the PG, especially while others like Booker and Jackson are on the floor with him, if he needs bailed out. Bender, Booker, JJ, Knight, and Ayton as the 5 on the floor gives them 4 guys who can run the point, provided JJ develops some and Bender works on it some more this offseason also.

I don't know how successful it will be but it should be fun to watch. It definitely allows for more creativity when you have that many guys who can handle the ball, shoot from distance, and initiate offensively. I can't wait to see offensive sets other than basic pick and roll's at the top of the key. We haven't had any sort of offensive identity since Gentry was here, which is also when Kokoskov was, previously.

 

[taz02]

JJ at PG. That would be something. If they can make that work we are going to have one crazy team

 

[SirStefan32]

Let's just play Ayton at 2 and Ulis at 5.

 

[JCSunsfan]

JJ at PG. That would be something. If they can make that work we are going to have one crazy team

Not full time. Just some stretches.

 

[sunsfan88]

JJ at PG. That would be something. If they can make that work we are going to have one crazy team

He’s shown he doesn’t have the ball handling ability for it yet.

 

[sunsfan88]

Article says he is planning on point guard more. He is working on his handle. Actually, that is an intriguing prospect. JJ has a really good handle already. He is an excellent passer and has a great BBIQ. He can also defend the pg position. I would be in favor of trying this.

I think that's highly debatable. He gets his pocket picked quite often for someone with a "really good" handle imo.

 

[sunsfan88]

That's Amare? I thought it was Bob Marley?

 

[sunsfan88]

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[Russ Smith]

One play from last night that I loved was the one where Smith Jr stripped Jackson and went in for a layup and Jackson busted his tail back, blocked it, and then bringing the ball up he bumped Smith back with his body and Smith retaliated with a shove and got a foul. That's always been the book on Jackson he plays very hard on defense and competes, it was nice to see him not hang his head after getting ripped, and it was even nicer to see him send a message to Smith with that bump back when Smith tried to press up on him again. I certainly don't see him as a fulltime PG but he has lots of talent and he showed some of it last night

 

[1tinsoldier]

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this analysis is as good as it gets. very accurate in my opinion

 

[Yuma]

I am a bit more optimistic he ends up better. Maybe not HOF, but possibly top 5 in his position during his career.

 

[Hoop Head]

I don't see him as a Pippen type of player and think that is the absolute best case scenario but I could see him as a Shawn Marion type of 3rd option who does a bit of everything and can fill gaps where needed. Perhaps he's an All-Star, eventually, but if he's not that isn't so terrible. A team with a Marion as their 3rd best player can win a title. I think title teams need that sort of player as a 3rd or 4th option. Golden State has Draymond Green as that now, for example, and to the Warriors he's their primary playmaker and a huge part of their success. I hope Jackson can be that someday.

 

[Suns_fan69]

In fact, a team with Marion as the second best (or 3rd, I guess, depending on how you view Kidd and Marion at their respective times in their career) did win a title. If Jackson can further develop into that jack of all trades type then he'll be a valuable glue guy on the team.

 

[Raze]

We sometimes forget that Pippen was a beta to Jordan's alpha. And he wasn't just any beta, he was the greatest beta of all time. He's arguably one of the very few betas on the top 50 all time list (maybe McHale, Worthy...) When he was the alpha, he wasn't very good at it.

JJ doesn't need to be an alpha on this team. We already have one, maybe two. What we desperately need is a Pippen who will find all the holes left by the top dog(s) and fill them. That is EXACTLY what I want from JJ. And he is genetically engineered to do just that. (The funny thing about JJ is that he's got a little Rodman to him as well. Again, EXACTLY what we need.)

He is part distributor, part defender, part slasher, part rebounder, part goon, part Energizer bunny, part agitator. He is, as the prior poster reiterated, the Jack of All Trades. More fittingly, the Josh of All Trades.

Marion greatest asset was he did that very thing with Nash and Amare. He excelled at taking the scraps off of the table, and the scraps were plentiful. Nash would always look for him to keep him happy. (One of Nash's least discussed greatest attribute). Shawn's greatest problem was his delusion of what his role should be. He was a horrible alpha. However, just a couple of notches below Pippen on the beta list.

I fully expect Igor to clarify that to JJ as time goes on. JJ has a ridiculous skill set, but is great at nothing. He is EXACTLY what Book and Ayton need to take us to a championship.

I would holistically argue against the statement that JJ won't be a HoF. He absolutely can be if he accepts his sensible role. Pippen did. The question is, can he do it long term?

I look forward to the days when Book, JJ and Ayton are seasoned vets starting for us.

 

[GatorAZ]

We sometimes forget that Pippen was a beta to Jordan's alpha. And he wasn't just any beta, he was the greatest beta of all time. He's arguably one of the very few betas on the top 50 all time list (maybe McHale, Worthy...) When he was the alpha, he wasn't very good at it.

JJ doesn't need to be an alpha on this team. We already have one, maybe two. What we desperately need is a Pippen who will find all the holes left by the top dog(s) and fill them. That is EXACTLY what I want from JJ. And he is genetically engineered to do just that. (The funny thing about JJ is that he's got a little Rodman to him as well. Again, EXACTLY what we need.)

He is part distributor, part defender, part slasher, part rebounder, part goon, part Energizer bunny, part agitator. He is, as the prior poster reiterated, the Jack of All Trades. More fittingly, the Josh of All Trades.

Marion greatest asset was he did that very thing with Nash and Amare. He excelled at taking the scraps off of the table, and the scraps were plentiful. Nash would always look for him to keep him happy. (One of Nash's least discussed greatest attribute). Shawn's greatest problem was his delusion of what his role should be. He was a horrible alpha. However, just a couple of notches below Pippen on the beta list.

I fully expect Igor to clarify that to JJ as time goes on. JJ has a ridiculous skill set, but is great at nothing. He is EXACTLY what Book and Ayton need to take us to a championship.

I would holistically argue against the statement that JJ won't be a HoF. He absolutely can be if he accepts his sensible role. Pippen did. The question is, can he do it long term?

I look forward to the days when Book, JJ and Ayton are seasoned vets starting for us.

The Admiral was the GOAT beta, IMO.

 

[Praxis]

So far, so good in Kokoskov's offense. It would be great if he develops into a championship glue guy.

 

[Joe Mama]

Hey guys, to me with Jackson it's all about limiting the turnovers and hitting his jump shots with at least decent consistency.. He doesn't need to be a great shooter necessarily although that wwouldn't hurt. This team needs all the help it can get.