Isaiah Jackson Slips In ESPN's New NBA Mock Draft

The NBA Draft is Thursday night. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, former Kentucky forward Isaiah Jackson will hear his name called towards the end of the first round. Givony’s new mock draft has Jackson going No. 24 to the Houston Rockets, almost ten spots lower than the version that came out earlier this month.

“This is a little bit of a slide from previous projections for Jackson, whose lack of bulk, propensity for fouling and unpolished game could cause playoff teams to look more towards more ready-made contributors,” Givony writes. “The Rockets are in an early stage of their rebuilding process and can afford to swing for the fences for a prospect like Jackson, one of the most explosive players in the draft and an elite shot-blocker who dropped strong glimpses of offensive potential, which gives him significant upside.”

Last week, Jackson worked out for the New York Knicks, who hold the No. 19 and No. 21 picks. Previously, he has worked out for the Indiana Pacers (pick No. 13) and the Charlotte Hornets (pick No. 11). Jackson will be one of 20 prospects in the Green Room Thursday night at the Barclays Center to find out his fate. Givony has BJ Boston, Kentucky’s other draft hopefully, going No. 36 to Oklahoma City.

Cade Cunningham is No. 1 (Detroit Pistons) in the mock, followed by Jalen Green at No. 2 (Houston Rockets), and Evan Mobley at No. 3 (Cleveland Cavaliers). If you’ve got an ESPN+ subscription, you can see all of the projections at the link below.

[ESPN Insider]