Dallas Mavericks: Don’t forget about Justin Jackson

The Dallas Mavericks have been on the hunt for wing help since the season ended, but Justin Jackson should not be forgotten.

The Dallas Mavericks did not make it expensive for the Sacramento Kings to trade for Harrison Barnes at the deadline. Dallas received just swingman Justin Jackson. They did not get a draft pick making it a purely salary-based move. The trade looks worse after the Mavs failed to acquire a star talent in free agency.

That does not mean Justin Jackson can’t be a useful player for the Mavs. Even with lots of depth at the wing and guard positions, Jackson will likely see more playing time this season. His growth may have been somewhat compromised by the re-signing of Dorian Finney-Smith, but Jackson’s place on the team shouldn’t be lost.

The Mavs are essentially taking a wait-and-see approach with their small forwards. They brought  back each of the ones they used last season. Finney-Smith, Ryan Broekhoff, and Tim Hardaway Jr will all share the responsibility of the position along with Jackson, who might see a little more time if his defense improves.

While Finney-Smith is the one with the most potential, Jackson has an opportunity to continue to add to the depth of the team and justify the risky trade. When evaluating the Mavs’ current roster, a wing who does not command too much of the basketball and can play at least passable defense while being a dead-eye shooter is missing. Finney-Smith has shown lots of growth defensively but has a wildly inconsistent shot.

Jackson has a solid stroke from the outside, but really struggles to stay in front of ball-handlers. Harrison Barnes fit that mold nearly perfectly. The Mavericks will need to do their best to rapidly develop Jackson and get him situated into that role.

An improved Jackson would also gift the Mavericks a needed trade chip for their pursuit of a third star to put alongside Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Opposing teams in rebuild mode could always use ascending wings. Jackson would be just that for any suspecting team.

Coach Rick Carlisle and the Mavericks should prioritize developing Jackson throughout the season while trusting that their starters can rack up enough wins to secure a playoff spot.

In an ideal world, the Dallas Mavericks will find plenty of minutes for Justin Jackson to mesh with Porzingis and Doncic. That way he can both be an effective rotation player for his team, while also raising his trade value significantly. Jackson is one of the Mavs players to watch this season.