7 players the Boston Celtics should have never given a chance
By Ben Grunert
Justin Jackson
This one isn’t very complicated. Justin Jackson played the worst basketball of his career in a Boston Celtics uniform, essentially providing no real contributions to the team.
He averaged 0.9 points per game in 23 outings last season, shooting 25.9% from the field and 25% from three. Jackson also joined the Celtics in December 2021 on a 10-day hardship exception.
Crazily enough, Jackson’s single-digit scoring average and horrendous shooting splits don’t even do his poor play justice. During the season, the UNC alum held an on/off differential of -30.7 points, meaning lineups with Jackson were 30.7 points worse than lineups without him, per Cleaning the Glass. Despite Boston’s 57-win status, Jackson somehow posted a -23.1 net rating when he took the floor.
Jackson’s advanced numbers were simply horrendous, albeit within a small sample size. His concerning lack of impact and struggle for steady minutes led to his departure at the trade deadline. Although the trade didn’t exactly catapult the Celtics back to the finals, Boston’s decision to ship Jackson and draft picks for Mike Muscala made a lot of sense for the team.
Jackson has bounced around the league since he was drafted in 2017, also playing for Sacramento, Dallas, OKC, and Milwaukee. On paper, a player of his size and skill set should prove quite effective. Unfortunately, things just didn’t click for him in Boston.
Jackson still remains a free agent heading into next season.