The 5 Different Dunks Of Michigan State's Jaren Jackson Jr.
The 5 Different Dunks Of Michigan State's Jaren Jackson Jr.
Michigan State freshman forward Jaren Jackson Jr. was a dominant dunker in high school and is ready for his Spartans debut.
For anyone looking for a fun freshman to watch in college basketball, get to know Jaren Jackson Jr. immediately. He likes to dunk the ball. A lot. And the 6-foot-11 forward will undoubtedly play a major role for No. 2 Michigan State this season.
The 2017 Flo40 No. 15 prospect is incredibly fluid, can step out and knock down shots behind the 3-point line, defends his position well, and will battle on the glass.
Most importantly, at least for producing highlights, he knows how to play above the rim, which he is eager to display in his Michigan State debut against Ferris State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI, on Thursday night with BTN Plus on FloHoops.
Throughout his senior season at La Lumiere School (IN), Jackson, a McDonald's All American, was almost impossible to stop, but there was one game at the American Family Insurance Hoophall West against Westbury Christian (Texas) last December that especially showed his full dunking arsenal.
Let's rewind the tape and show the five types of dunks Jackson might throw down during his first exhibition game against Ferris State at 7 PM ET.
THE SMOOTH OPERATOR
First and foremost, Jackson makes pretty tough plays look incredibly easy. This is just a simple set play in which he fakes setting a hard screen (good acting), throws his hands up like he wants out of there (even better acting), casually strolls to the bucket for an alley-oop (no acting, just good), and sticks the landing. Textbook work.
THE SNEAK ATTACK
No matter the level, it seems almost impossible to lose sight of a 6-foot-11 player wearing a bright white jersey, but somehow Westbury Christian forgot to keep track of the best player on the floor. Then again, perhaps Jackson is just that sneaky as he came out of nowhere to catch the inbounds lob. Let's roll with that.
THE DOMINATOR
The relentless nature Jackson shows on the offensive glass is an underrated part of his game. He is long and his second jump is tremendous. The fact his third jump in a matter of short seconds resulted in a dunk in traffic is kind of ridiculous and makes this play great.
THE TERMINATOR
Still don't believe Jackson can really crash the boards? Just take a few seconds and watch this play loop over and over. His timing to grab the rebound is obviously next level, but then he spins as he dribbles, spins again as he jumps, and spins again as he lands. That's a 540-degree move for those keeping track at home.
THE STAREDOWN
If there is any way a player could tell the world how much he is putting on a dunking clinic without actually grabbing the PA's microphone and saying it, looking and pointing to the nearest camera after your final dunk is definitely it. That's exactly what Jackson did to put an exclamation point on his impressive night in a 91-44 victory.
Jackson is a must-watch player, and his highly anticipated first game in a Spartans uniform is officially here.