The small forward position for the Phoenix Suns has some quality depth, but rookie Josh Jackson has the most potential for the position.
When the Phoenix Suns selected Josh Jackson with the fourth overall pick in the draft this past summer, front office selected who they believed was the best player at that spot. Jackson is a two way player with a lot of upside. He’s expected to help the Suns on the perimeter right away and could end up being a big contributor this season. That’s why the one bold prediction about the small forward position is that Jackson will win Rookie of the Year.
Jackson has plenty of competition going into this season for that award, as Adam Maynes of Valley of the Suns mentioned in one of his articles. Some notable names that Jackson will be competing against are Lonzo Ball, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, De’Aaron Fox, and Dennis Smith Jr. Even though the competition is fierce, there are plenty of reasons why he can beat out his competition.
Jackson won’t have to worry about strong contenders in Simmons and Fultz. This is because they will simply cancel each other out, as theorized by Keith Pompey of philly.com. Most recent proof of rookie teammates canceling each other out for the ROY award is with their teammates Joel Embiid and Dario Saric last year. Granted, part of the reason why Embiid didn’t win was because he played only 31 games last season. Still having two rookies on the same team will provide some canceling out effect. One theory why Simmons and Fultz won’t win ROY is because the NBA is punishing their team, the Philadelphia 76ers, for the blatantly tanking, according to Mike Sielski of philly.com.
Phoenix Suns
Fox will be competing for playing time with veteran point guard George Hill. Hill averaged a career high last season in points per game for the Utah Jazz. Fox may be a really good point guard, but sharing time with Hill will definitely hurt him in the race for best rookie.
Smith could definitely be a strong contender for ROY. However, with quality players like Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews, and Seth Curry, Smith won’t be asked to carry the load right away so his chances of winning the award will diminish. Smith is still someone who will be a threat to Jackson in the rookie race.
Lonzo Ball‘s offensive skill are great and could really be a threat to win the ROY. The thing that might hold Ball from winning it all is his defense. He also has quality teammates in Brooke Lopez, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Brandon Ingram. Like with Smith, Ball has too good of a supporting cast. He may be good, but there is a chance that he gets out shined by his teammates. Also, having Lavar Ball as a dad may make voters think twice before voting for Ball.
Jackson won’t have to compete with his rookie teammates for the award. Besides having Devin Booker and Eric Bledsoe, Jackson’s supporting cast is not strong which will make carry a larger load than other rookies. Jackson’s one of the best defensive rookies as well, which will definitely help him in the race. Jackson shouldn’t have to compete for playing time from any veteran.
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 9/19/2017.
If Jackson can duplicate his college success, he should have more than enough on his resume to win the ROY award.
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Jackson will have an up-hill battle for the Rookie of the Year award with many qualified candidates. It wouldn’t be a much of bold prediction if it was a predicable outcome. However, the Phoenix Suns rookie may just have enough going for him to win out the competition. Only Walter Davis and Amar’e Stoudemire have won the award for the Suns thus far, but Jackson has what it takes to win it as well.