Chowder and Champions
Fansided

“Demetrius Jackson, the Next Phil Pressey or Isaiah Thomas?”

By Adam Nazzaro

Mar 27, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) shoots against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half in the championship game in the East regional of the NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Demetrius Jackson (11) shoots against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half in the championship game in the East regional of the NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Celtics Have Signed Second Round Pick, Guard Demetrius Jackson

PG Demetrius Jackson 45th overall pick (2nd round) in last month’s NBA Draft, will sign a four-year, $5.5 million contract with the Boston Celtics, a league source confirmed to ESPN.

Some critics found this surprising, but the 21-year old rookie out of the University of Notre Dame caught attention from Celtics Head Coach Brad Stevens and GM Danny Ainge in this year’s NBA Summer League. In eight summer league appearances in Utah and Las Vegas, Demetrius Jackson averaged 5.3 points, 2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1 steal in 16.6 minutes per game. You could see the intensity that Jackson brought intensity and defensive presence brought on by the 6-foot 1 studs intensity. The real question is with this signing, will any good come out of it?, or did the Celtics just waste money from their payroll?

While earning an average annual salary of $1.38 million, Jackson will essentially be paid similar to the No. 23 overall pick, assuming that player earned 100 percent of the league’s rookie scale. Depending on the structure of Jackson’s deal, his guaranteed first-year salary could rival that of a pick in the late teens of the 1st round.

Everything that Jackson represents continues to tell me that he will pan out, but if not is this going to be another one of those Celtics “Wasted Picks”?

Oct 9, 2013; Providence, RI, USA; Boston Celtics guard Chris Babb (52) and point guard Phil Pressey (26) celebrate against the New York Knicks during the second half at Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2013; Providence, RI, USA; Boston Celtics guard Chris Babb (52) and point guard Phil Pressey (26) celebrate against the New York Knicks during the second half at Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

The deal might raise questions about why the Celtics would give such a lucrative contract to a mid-second-round selection. Just one year ago, Boston drafted Marcus Thornton at No. 45 and elected to stash him overseas in Australia to develop. He has yet to sign a deal with the Celtics. The Celtics executed a similar contract last season while inking 2015 second-round pick Jordan Mickey to a four-year, $5 million deal. Mickey, the No. 33 pick, got two guaranteed seasons at first-round money in exchange for being under the team’s long-term control because the Celtics will hold full Bird rights by the end of his deal. Mickey showed great promise as a rookie, dominating the NBA D-League and becoming an all-star. Although he played limited minutes for the Celtics, he showcased himself well with his great defense and sensational shot blocking.

Jackson, who was a standout at Notre Dame, averaged 17.6 PPG, 5.2 APG and was without a doubt one of their top offensive threats, he was also elected to the All-ACC Team (2nd Team). The ACC standout was projected to be a first round pick in last months draft, but that night didn’t treat him too well as he was disappointed falling to the middle of the 2nd round. “I think when you can play, you can play. It’s really about what’s inside. But yeah, as a shorter guy I think (NBA teams) just want to make sure you can play because the league is taller guards and bigger size. So they just want to make sure you can finish around the rim, create, and just be able to play on the court with bigger players.” Jackson said when asked about what he can bring to the table in the NBA.

The real question is: “why do the Celtics need him?”

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas represents his team during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas represents his team during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

They already have deep guard play in Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, along with newer talents such as recently acquired Gerald Green, and Summer League stars Terry Rozier and RJ Hunter. My take is that the Celtics see someone who wants to get better, someone who will work hard maybe enough to get to that next step which will be to get in the Celtics rotation.

Jackson will most likely have a strong role for the Celtics D-League team (Maine Red Claws), where he can learn the team schemes and be a bus ride a way in case one of the Celtics guards goes down with an injury. Where he was selected in the draft won’t help his cause, it might be fair to assume that he won’t add much trade either interest due to his lack of experience. On a positive note if he does show a lot of promise in Maine, it could give the Celtics more leverage to deal away one of their other guards. Overall, considering the skill set and work ethic of Jackson, this was a solid move by Boston.

Next: Joe Kelly: Red Sox New Bullpen Weapon?

Keep it locked here at Chowder and Champions for continued coverage on the Boston Celtics.

Home/Boston Celtics