Jackson really grew on me as the season went on, and was the lone bright spot in Kentucky''s season. His athleticism is legit, and his energy is contagious. I trust his defense for sure, and if the shooting translates he is a great glue guy. He clearly isn’t ready to play a real NBA role, and he NEEDS to put on some muscle, but he’s got the fire I need in a big man.

Comparison: Nerlens Noel

Ceiling: Bigger Gerald Wallace

Floor: Marquesse Chriss, this year Precious Achiuwa

Isaiah Jackson is clearly one of the best rim protectors in this draft class. He can also rebound and score, despite the fact he needs to add some strength to his frame. He can play both big man positions and although he stretches the limits with his skills at times, is maturing his game under John Calipari. I project him to be a shot blocking center who gets playing time and is switchable. Also has some pick and pop ability in him, which he has been working on with Baylor guard in Davion Mitchell. If he doesn't add strength, it will be a nightmare for him because he won't be able to physically be a defensive weapon, even though the league has become a three-point shooting based league.

Projected draft range: 8-20

Height 6'10 Weight 210 lbs Wingspan 7'2 - 7'5 Born Jan 10, 2002 (19 years old) Pre-Draft Team Kentucky (FR)

Offense

• 70 FT%, the tape suggests untapped shooting ability.

• Willing passer with decent vision.

• Insane bounce.

• 4.2 offensive rebounds per 40. Will need to be gameplanned for with constant boxouts.

• Really promising short mid range game due to nice rise and high release point. Not afraid to faceup and pull or dribble and pull inside 10-15.

• One of the biggest positives here was he didn't complicate things, he minimized his playground and did his best to dominate it.

• The coordination and tenacity inside will lead to some impressive finishes and poster dunks.

• Roll man game could be a real untapped area for him. He looks smooth enough to operate in a multitude of ways inside 10 as mentioned.

• Needs to hone his energy and play within himself without getting wild. It happens sometimes.

• 6.9 FTA per 40, this can be a real strength going forward.

Defense

• Eye popping shot blocker.

• Excellent rim protector. Chase down blocks or will meet you at the rim. Good luck.

• Excellent rebounder.

• Versatile because of outstanding length and lateral movement for a big.

• Potential to defend 1-5.

• Really good help side and has great recovery skills.

• Still working on maximizing his length on close outs and staying down in his defensive stance.

• Energy and tenacity makes him want to contest everything.

• 5.8 Fouls per 40. Can't take himself out of games. Discipline and energy control are areas of emphasis.

Swing Factors

• Perimeter defense - Occasional concerns about his ability stay low and stop driving guards. If he can't do this it removes some level of his vast defensive versatility.

• Honing his energy and discipline - I love the motor and tenacity, but at times it was out of control. The quicker its in harmony with the flow of the game the quicker he can make big impact plays.

• Shooting - Jackson doesn't necessarily need to be able to shoot 3's, but knocking down middys and short middys will give him more versatility to operate as he plays at the NBA level.

  Role

• A high grade versatile defensive big who is a swiss army knife on this side of the ball and a fantastic rebounder overall.

• LOW: Jackson's perimeter defense and shooting don't manifest. He lacks discipline committing too many fouls, turning the ball over too often for his touch ratio, and not being in proper defensive stance to guard against blow byes. Overall Jackson is still an above average rebounder who creates extra possessions and an above average shot blocker. He plays in spurts as an end of a rotation athletic energy big.

• HIGH: Jackson thrives as a roll man who can finish and hit mid range jumpers. He attacks voraciously and finishes the same. He's always creating havoc on the offensive glass. He quickly becomes a positive offensive asset with room to expand his range to the perimeter. Defensively he is an absolute staple of the defense protecting the rim, blocking shots in huge volume and guarding anyone he is asked. He attains a starter role and begins work towards becoming an all star, all nba defender.

Tier 7 Floor - out of rotation Bullseye - high-end back up center Ceiling - 6MOY contendor, bordeline starter

Isaiah Jackson is a 6'11 big who is unbelievably quick for his size, and can cover a preposterous amount of ground on the defensive side of the floor. Jackson can run the floor quicker than any big in this draft and is a great lob threat. Jackson briefly showed off his impressive lateral quickness for a 6'11 guy at his lone season at Kentucky.

Comparisons: Nicolas Claxton, Dwight Powell

Teams are testing the waters on Jackson and have their eyes on him. He was the best player from Kentucky from last year and with a 7-foot-6 wingspan, he is able to be Patrick Williams with that defense.

Great defensive 4 who has a lot of potential and should be able to protect the rim. Question is if he can get a solid 3 point shot. If he can then he should be a good player.

Floor: Taller Grant Williams with rim protection

Comparison: Chris Boucher without a 3

Ceiling: Myles Turner

Positives

-Elite athlete, very explosive, great lob threat from day 1, really shines in the open floor, ferocious dunker very high energy player that won't disappoint with effort, shows it on the offensive glass where he's also a good finisher

-Amazing upside as a rim protector, extremely talented shot blocker, good length + athleticism + solid timing, can be very flashy, solid instincts as a help-side defender, good recovery, changed a lot of shots as well

-Pretty versatile defender, moves well and competes on the perimeter, can move his feet servicably against guards and wings, blocked a good amount of 3 pointers, able to play in most PnR coverages, always going to try to contest the shot

-Offensive upside mostly just in flashes, some intriguing possessions with face-ups, mid-range jumpers and attacking off the bounce, has some nice glimpses of passing on the short roll or from the dunker's spot

Negatives

-Jumpshot still pretty raw, you like the flashes but probably shouldn't get a green light to shoot many mid range or 3 point jumpers, some of his misses are really bad

-Has some really questionable decision making at times, taking a shot over 3 players, avoidable charges, illegal screens, making the wrong read into turnovers among other things, showed some flashes but inconsistent

-Really needs to cut down on fouling, especially because defense is his calling card, can get a bit too jumpy as a shot blocker, also has moments where is well out of position in the PnR which will be problematic in the NBA, needs more discipline, can get a bit too straight-legged on closeouts and give up easy blow-by's, needs to be more focused here

-Should gain some weight for the NBA, had some struggles defending dominant post 5's at Kentucky, frame still somewhat skinny

Likely range: 15-30

Pro Comparison: Nerlens Noel

Stats: 8.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 58.7% TS, 0%(0.1A) 3pt

19 yrs old, 6''11", PF/C, 206 lbs

Recruit(2020): 4 star recruit, Rank: 34, Rank PF: 5

Tier 4 Prospect