Andre Jackson taken with No. 36 pick in NBA Draft, heading to Bucks
BROOKLYN – Former UConn forward Andre Jackson Jr. was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 36th overall pick in the second round of Thursday’s NBA Draft, though he will reportedly be heading to the Milwaukee Bucks in a proposed trade.
The Magic received the Bucks’ 2030 second-round pick and cash considerations in exchange for the pick, according to reports.
Jackson will suit up for Milwaukee, who recently hired Adrian Griffin, the father of UConn women’s basketball player Aubrey Griffin, as its new head coach.
With Jordan Hawkins being selected 14th overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, it is the first time under Dan Hurley that UConn has had two players drafted in the same year.
Fear the deer! 🦌@andrejackson111 has been selected with the 36th pick in the #NBADraft and will be traded to the @Bucks #HU5KIES pic.twitter.com/z59JkOU5uV — UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) June 23, 2023
About an hour before hearing his name, Jackson watched Hawkins get selected from a watch party in New York City and was all smiles. Hurley and associate head coach Kimani Young, who sat with Hawkins in the Barclays Center, then made their way over to Jackson’s party at a nearby restaurant.
Jackson received the phone call and took three steps forward before he was in Hurley’s arms.
UConn’s co-captain and vocal leader last season, Jackson brings an exciting, tough brand of basketball and all of the intangibles that NBA teams are looking for. He quickly became a fan favorite, his love for Connecticut reciprocated in full, and brought his two fan bases together when the Huskies were sent to where he grew up, Albany, N.Y., for the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Jackson only needed to score 6.7 points per game during the 2022-23 season but was second on the team in rebounds (6.2) and tied with Tristen Newton for the team lead in assists (4.7).
His stock was high after he helped the Huskies’ dominate every opponent they faced in the Tournament and continued to rise at the NBA Draft Combine. During drills and team workouts, his unique athleticism and defensive agility was on full display for the hundreds of scouts on hand in Chicago. The only knock on Jackson is that his 3-point percentage dipped to 28.1% last year from the 36.1% he shot as a sophomore, but the impact of his playmaking and ability to defend all over the floor outweighed that concern.
“He’s the type of guy that could get right into a rotation and play,” Hurley said Thursday night during ESPN’s draft broadcast.
Source: Hartford Courant
