Ever since the Philadelphia 76ers earned the third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, there’s been much conversation. Some folks want to take Kentucky’s Malik Monk third. Some want to take Florida State’s Jonathan Isaac third. One person I talked to (whose name I’ll keep secret to protect his identity) wants the Sixers to take NC State’s Dennis Smith at three. (No. Please God, no.)<\/p>\n
Every mock draft you can search for on the internet projects the Sixers to take Josh Jackson — the 6’8″ forward out of Kansas. Presumably, Washington’s Markelle Fultz goes number one to Boston and Lonzo Ball from UCLA goes to the Lakers at number two. (If God is not vengeful, of course, Ball will go number two. Lonzo Ball in a Sixers uniform is something I’m not mentally ready to handle.) That leaves the Sixers and Jackson.<\/p>\n
With Jackson’s size and athleticism, it is easy to rationalize that the Sixers will plug him in as the two-guard or small forward. That’s a fair rationale. What about this, though? The Sixers take Jackson at third overall and plug him in as the secondary ball handler with Ben Simmons.<\/p>\n
(The regular readers of this column who want to burn me at the stake as a heretic<\/a> are already getting the wood and fire ready.)<\/em><\/p>\n Is that a crazy idea, though?<\/p>\n One thing that teams love about Josh Jackson is his versatility. Jackson is a decent enough ball handler. He’s not going to pound the ball and make several hundred dribble moves and cross someone over, but he’s not a turnover nightmare, either. Jackson has a very high basketball IQ, which grants him the ability to see the floor and where his teammates are in relation. Isn’t that more or less what you want in a point guard?<\/p>\n What a pass by Josh Jackson! pic.twitter.com\/ini6qKdQt3<\/a><\/p>\n — Jayhawk Video (@JayhawkVideo) November 30, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n