Where GG Jackson landed in latest NBA Mock Draft post-lottery

GG Jackson is done with the biggest piece of the pre-draft process. And now the former South Carolina player is in the home stretch before beginning his professional career. 

With the NBA Combine and Draft Lottery over, mock drafts are officially rolling out as teams know now where they’re picking. 

Here’s the latest on where most major news outlets project the All-Freshman big man to go.

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Most places have Jackson as a first-round pick. Most major mocks currently project him to go outside of the lottery. But the mocks expect him to be picked in the final third of the first round. 

Jackson is expected to be the Gamecocks’ first draft pick since 2017 (Sindarius Thornwell, No. 48 overall). He will also likely be the team’s first first-round selection since Renaldo Balkman in 2006. 

Balkman is the team’s lone first-round selection dating bck to 1975 when Tom Boswell went No. 17 overall.  

Bleacher Report projects him the highest in the draft having the Gamecocks’ forward going No. 18 overall to the Miami Heat. 

The Heat have been one of the best teams in basketball over the course of the last 15 years. And Miami would provide a structured organization for someone so young heading into his professional career. 

Jackson won’t turn 19 until mid-December, a few months into the NBA season.

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 “Miami would need to stay patient with the 18-year-old Jackson, but for a 6’9″ power forward, his ball-handling and shooting versatility would seemingly fit well between Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo,” Jonathan Wasserman wrote. 

“The Heat’s track record for developing prospects and overall mature roster would be great for a talent like Jackson, who could improve his decision-making and defensive effort.”

The vast consensus of the mock drafts have Jackson going in the 20s. They largely mock the South Carolina native to teams with a ton of young talent dotting the rosters. 

SB Nation has Jackson going No. 20 overall to the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are a team still very much in the rebuilding phase. The Rockets drafted in the top five in each of the last two seasons, getting Jalen Green and Jabari Smith.

“Jackson is a huge forward with shot-creation potential who is still growing into his game as the youngest prospect in the draft. The No. 1 high school junior in the country before reclassifying late, Jackson spent his freshman year initiating the Gamecocks’ offense and flashing tough shot-making skills. At 6’9, 215 pounds, Jackson is a fluid if not super explosive athlete who could be a mismatch problem at the next level as he continues to learn how to leverage his physical gifts,” SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell wrote.

“The issue with Jackson right now is he doesn’t read the game very well — he finished the season with 86 turnovers to 27 assists — and still needs to prove himself as an off-ball player in terms of his catch-and-shoot efficiency and ability to impact the game with cuts, offensive rebounds, and hustle plays. There’s some real upside here, but it’s going to take a patient team who can get him to embrace a winning role.”

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The Nets are picking at No. 22 this year. Both NBC Sports and The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor have him going there.

The Athletic slotted Jackson No. 27 overall to the Charlotte Hornets, the closest-to-home option for Jackson. USA Today had him going No. 24 overall to the Sacramento Kings. 

ESPN projects the lowest landing spot for Jackson. Jonathan Givony slots him at No. 32 overall–the second pick of the second round–to the Indiana Pacers.

Jackson had an up-and-down year at South Carolina. He finished averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Jackson shot 38.4 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from three. 

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He was named to the league’s All-Freshman team with a 14.9 player efficiency rating (PER) and a 1.0 win share.

Jackson and the rest of his class have a few weeks of downtime before the NBA Draft on June 22.