Lamont Paris talks GG Jackson inconsistency, getting the freshman going again

Lamont Paris knew GG Jackson would hit a freshman wall at some point. And it seems the Gamecocks’ forward is in the midst of it. 

South Carolina’s five-star freshman has struggled for consistency in SEC play, putting up consecutive inefficient performances to Texas A&M and Ole Miss. 

With 13 regular season games to go, the Gamecocks need to get Jackson going and that comes by getting back to work this week.

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“Maybe get in the gym a little more and let’s dissect what you’re doing with your shot. Is it coming down to your footwork? I don’t like to do laser surgery on a guy’s shot mid-season,” Paris said. “But are there small things we can pinpoint you can easily change? The preparation, the depth of your shot, the overall quality of your shot. Those are things we can do: spend more time in the gym. Some of that’s on him.”

For Jackson, it’s been a tale of where the Gamecocks have played in league play. 

Jackson’s averaging 14.5 points and five rebounds per game in two road games–at Vanderbilt and Kentucky–while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 2-for-9 from three in 37.5 minutes per game.

Compare that to the three home games since conference games started where Jackson is averaging 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He’s shooting just 17.1 percent from the field and is 2-for-18 from three. 

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Jackson finished with 15 points in a loss Tuesday. But he did it on an inefficient 5-for-20 shooting to pair with seven boards and three assists. Most of that, though, came late in the game with South Carolina down double digits.

Paris has tried to run a few different kinds of sets for him, and it’s still a struggle for him to consistently see the ball go in, especially at home.

“I try to run some stuff and get him to spots. I’ve tried to get him in a ball screen, I’ve tried to get him in naked situations where he can attack with not much help, I’ve tried to get him jump shots. I’ve tried to get him mid-range post-ups, I’ve tried to get him threes,” Paris said.

“We’ll continue to try to get him in some situations where he can be aggressive. Some of it you just have to get in the gym and see it go in. when you see it go in, you’ll believe it goes in. when you believe it goes in, it’s going to go in even more.”    

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This season South Carolina’s struggled and Jackson has certainly had his ups and downs. According to EvanMiya, the Gamecocks are averaging 92.5 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor and allowing 104.9. 

That’s an adjusted efficiency margin of minus-12.4, sixth on the team among the nine players who’ve played at least 150 possessions this season. 

“I think we have to get in (the gym). We have to get in there and grind. That’s what happens. It happens to every single player. I remember Klay Thompson a couple of years ago had a game where he made all these threes and didn’t have any dribbles hardly,” Paris said.

“Leading up to it his shooting percentage–Klay Thompson–was abysmal and he broke out that one time and turned into his own self after that. It happens to a lot of guys. I think you have to get in there and dissect it yourself as to what I normally do.”

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Things don’t get easier for Jackson, who has to go up against a top-15 defense in the country Saturday against Auburn. The Tigers are No. 13 in the country in defensive efficiency and fifth in the SEC. 

Jackson certainly has the potential to bounce back and play well, and the Gamecocks need him to.

“I’ll tell him the SEC is tough. Every game you’re going to have a target on your back. It’s not going to stop. We have a game Saturday. We just have to get back in the gym more, get more shots, dissect some more film. He’s young. So I have to take him under my wing with the coaches and our team. I feel like the film is a big part and also getting in the gym and getting shots up.” 

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