Lakers rumors: Three reasons why they should draft Josh Jackson

Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) and guard Devonte' Graham (4) celebrate during the first half against the UC Davis Aggies in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) and guard Devonte' Graham (4) celebrate during the first half against the UC Davis Aggies in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 24, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) holds the ball while guarded by West Virginia Mountaineers guard Tarik Phillip (12) during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2017; Morgantown, WV, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Josh Jackson (11) holds the ball while guarded by West Virginia Mountaineers guard Tarik Phillip (12) during the first half at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

Consistency matters

When looking at potential draft prospects, one major thing to consider is the player’s consistency. While Lonzo Ball might be more of a facilitator on offense, another area the Lakers lack in is being consistent.

Whether it’s D’Angelo Russell or anyone else on the team, the flashes of what they can do mean nothing if they can’t do it frequently.

In his sole season at Kansas, the last ten games of the regular season saw him keep his scoring average at a minimum of 16 points. Also, in that span he scored well against top teams that would eventually surface in the NCAA tournament.

Some of those big performances came against Iowa State and West Virginia, with it happening against Baylor twice. Additionally, the game before the stretch began was versus Kentucky — he dropped 20 points against them.

Jackson wasn’t just consistent in scoring, either. In six of those last ten regular season contests, he had ten boards or more. If we count the Kentucky game previous to the final stretch, he got ten boards in that game as well.

This fits in with Los Angeles because while D’Angelo Russell can score plenty at shooting guard, he’s only averaging 3.5 rebounds per game. For this reason, Jackson would compliment the young core quickly.