New Orleans Pelicans: 4 Former 1st Round Picks to Pursue in Free Agency

New Orleans Pelicans find a cheap wing with strong two-way upside

Josh Jackson- Memphis Grizzlies

It’s unlikely that Josh Jackson will ever be the next Kawhi Leonard or Jimmy Butler that draft evaluators projected him as when the Phoenix Suns took him with the 4th overall pick in 2017 but that doesn’t mean that he can’t become a valuable player with the New Orleans Pelicans.

With the right coaching, I think that Josh Jackson could be the team’s, Jae Crowder. If you look at Jae Crowder’s career, he had similar measurables to Josh Jackson in height, weight, and wingspan but didn’t flourish into a solid two-way forward until he got to the Boston Celtics at age 24.

This could be the same case for Josh Jackson in New Orleans. Jackson will turn 24 during next season and with the right development program here with the New Orleans Pelicans there’s a chance that he could be the perfect complimentary forward behind Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.

Josh Jackson has the defensive talents that the New Orleans Pelicans desperately missed from their wings this past season and with a  bit of work his 3-point shot could come along.

The biggest concern when it comes to Josh Jackson is his maturity and off the court issues. Under the New Orleans Pelicans organization though, Jackson could be mentored by Jrue Holiday who is one of the best veterans in the NBA.

I have Josh Jackson as one of my top targets for the New Orleans Pelicans in this year’s free agency.