University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Jackson Staying Aggressive
November 18, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
By Adam Lucas
Justin Jackson hasn't made a three-pointer in Carolina's first two games of the season, and he doesn't seem particularly concerned about it.
That's probably because he's been here before. Jackson went 0-for-3 from the three-point line in the first two games of his freshman campaign, then went out and scored 18 points in a win over Davidson in the season's third game. He also went through an 0-for-11 stretch from the arc during December of his freshman year, and then went through another five-game dry spell in January. In other words, the even-keeled Jackson isn't going to panic about something he's experienced before.
“It's the second game of the season, so I'm not really worried about it,” Jackson says of his current 43.8 field goal percentage and 0-for-6 mark from three-point range. “I'll put up more shots and sooner or later it will fall. I went through the same thing last year. I just want to be aggressive and keep putting up shots.”
As a freshman, Jackson shot 52.1 percent from the floor in the final dozen games and hit 44.7 percent of his three-pointers in that same stretch. Many expected that same productivity would carry over to his sophomore season, and when Marcus Paige went down with a hand injury, Jackson was assumed by many to be Carolina's perimeter offensive focus for the first month of the season.
However, that's not really the best use of his offensive talents. Jackson has never been best suited to just stand around the three-point line. His value lies in his ability to take a dribble or two and create offense closer to the basket, and to run the floor aggressively to score in transition. He's 7-for-10 from two-point range in Carolina's first two games, the best two-point percentage of anyone on the roster other than Isaiah Hicks (who quietly has made seven of his first eight field goal attempts).
“When you're not hitting shots, you have to find an easy way to see the ball go through the hoop,” Jackson said. “For me, that's getting out on the break.”
Fairfield used a zone defense extensively, minimizing what would have been a definite head-to-head matchup advantage for the Texas sophomore and daring the Tar Heels to shoot from the perimeter.
One area that isn't simply part of an early-season slump: Jackson needs to rebound more effectively. He did not get a rebound against Fairfield (his first shutout on the glass since last year's trip to NC State) and has just two in the first two games, the lowest two-game output of his UNC career. With Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson and Theo Pinson available, Carolina doesn't need Jackson to be a primary rebounder, but it's reasonable to think he will be around his career four rebounds per game average.
Expect Jackson to continue to be aggressive tonight against Wofford (7 p.m., RSN). His early-season struggles last year created some hesitation, as he attempted just 14 field goals in an early three-game ACC stretch. With more experience, he wants to actively break out of the doldrums rather than just waiting for offense to appear.
“I'm going to keep shooting,” Jackson said. “Last year when I didn't hit a few, I shied away a little bit. Now I feel like if I just keep shooting, it will fall.”
