Demetrius Jackson is Better off in the D League
Demetrius Jackson should not expect to be on the Boston Celtics’ opening day roster
Demetrius Jackson is one of the many fringe players looking to secure a final roster spot for the Boston Celtics, but that may not be the best thing for him right now. Even if Jackson is capable of coming in and being a contributor, the great guard depth on the team will be too much to overcome.
With more time spent in the D League, Jackson will have a much better opportunity to prove to the team that he can flourish in their system. Spending full games on the bench, or only seeing a few minutes of garbage time will prevent Jackson from establishing the kind of role Marcus Smart has held, and Terry Rozier is expected to take over this year.
Even if Jackson proves to be a lot more valuable than his second round pick would suggest, he is not going to be the difference maker on this current team. Taking that into account, Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley‘s contracts will be up soon and both Rozier and Smart have a lot of work to do on the offensive end. Jackson’s priority needs to be giving the Celtics as many options as they need.
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Smart and Rozier are the primary reasons why the Celtics did not feel the need to pay Turner. It will be a lot more difficult with Bradley or Thomas, but Jackson is better off remaining focused on a more long term future, where there is a realistic chance at a role.
The top four guards in Bradley, Thomas, Smart and Rozier have cemented roles that Jackson could never approach. After them the Celtics have R.J Hunter who could see more opportunities, and the newly added Gerald Green. Throw in a bit of a wild card in James Young, and there will not be enough minutes for everyone.
Even if Jackson can leap frog and establish himself as the fifth guard on the team, that would still not be enough to give him the kind of role that would allow him to flourish. Jackson has a lot of offensive potential but after what he did in college, it feels like too much of a stretch to expect him to be enough on the defensive end.
In three years at Notre Dame, Jackson had a defence rating of 109.4. The Celtics pride themselves on the defense of their guards, and Jackson is too far away on the defensive end to have any kind of consistent role in the NBA.
Spending that time in the D League will first of all give Jackson a much better platform to show case all that offensive potential, but it also gives him the time he needs to grow enough on the defensive end.
The Celtics do not need Jackson on their roster this year, and Jackson needs to be in a position where he can get some real playing time. Injuries could always change anything and a lot of the depth ahead of him is very young and that makes disappointments a real possibility, For the opening day roster, however, Jackson should not be taking up one of the final spots.
Standout defense has been the only thing that has prompted Stevens to give rookies significant roles in their first seasons and as appealing as Jackson can be offensively, that will not be the priority with him.
Jackson shot 38% from three in his three years at Nortre Dame and two of those seasons were above 40%. When it comes to guard depth the Celtics are great on defense, but could be disastrous on offense. The Celtics need guards that can have the kind of offensive impact that Jackson has the potential to bring. It just remains almost impossible for Jackson to get enough of a role to have an impact offensively.
Even if Jackson could prove to be a trusted shooter, that will not allow him to jump over the standout defenders on the depth chart and, ultimately, he will remain glued to the bench.
In the D League, Jackson will be in an ideal position to prove to the Celtics how much he can do on the offensive end. His offensive rating of 119 helps show what kind of potential he has on that end, but the Celtics ask for a lot more out of their guards.
The only guards that Jackson’s shooting could give him an advantage over would be Green and Hunter. The problem is that both Green and Hunter are more established shooters, and Hunter is more comfortable in the offense. As appealing as Jackson’s shooting is to a team that was putrid from beyond the arc, he has a lot of work to do to surpass any of the six guards that should start ahead of him on the depth chart.
The Celtics have enough stability in their back court that they are better off taking those chances with their front court. If the Celtics want to give a younger unproven player an opporuntity in the rotation, there is a lot more room to accommodate that in the front court.
Jackson has the offensive potential to earn a spot in the rotation, and that is exactly what he needs to do, earn it. The Celtics cannot afford to play around with him in their lineup while giving him the opportunities he would need to have an impact.
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The D League is where things need to start for Jackson and barring any huge set backs or injuries, he should not be on the opening day roster.