Five signs Josh Jackson has arrived

Rebounding

SAN ANTONIO, TX – JANUARY 5: Josh Jackson #20 of the Phoenix Suns rebounds the ball during game against the San Antonio Spurs on January 5, 2018 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photos by Mark Sobhani/NBAE via Getty Images)

Josh Jackson has a nose for the ball. Not only is he a defensive bull dog, but he see’s where rebounds are going before the shot even hits the rim.

See exhibit A:

Josh Jackson records his first career double-double for the @suns!

17 PTS - 10 REBS - 5 ASTS#NBARooks pic.twitter.com/PIAhbLoc8A
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) January 8, 2018

As you can see by that stat line, Josh Jackson recorded a double-double against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the first of his career.

While game one of his recent three-game stretch only awarded him 2 boards, in his two subsequent games he grabbed 15 total, 5 against the San Antonio Spurs and 10 against the Thunder.

This was only the third time this season that he has grabbed five or more in two consecutive games, the previous being November 24-26 where he grabbed 5 each outing. He also had a four-game stretch from games 4-7 on October 23-31.

Prior to the Atlanta benching, Jackson was only averaging 3.5 per game, yet over this current stretch, even including the 2 rebound game against Denver, he has averaged 5.7, pushing his season average up by .2 as well. His rebounding per-36 minutes over this stretch is 7.9, well above his per-36 on the season, 6.1.