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Indiana Basketball: What Jackson-Davis needs to improve to be drafted next year

By Zach Breton

BLOOMINGTON, IN - FEBRUARY 23: Trayce Jackson-Davis #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers goes up to dunk the ball during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Assembly Hall on February 23, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - FEBRUARY 23: Trayce Jackson-Davis #4 of the Indiana Hoosiers goes up to dunk the ball during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Assembly Hall on February 23, 2020 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Indiana basketball got some good news when Trayce Jackson-Davis announced yesterday on Twitter that he will be returning for a second year. What does he need to improve on?

Trayce Jackson-Davis entered this past season as a highly touted five star McDonald’s All-American and Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana. It is fair to say that Jackson-Davis had lofty expectations coming into the season. It is also fair to say that he met or exceeded almost all expectations as he finished the year as runner-up for freshman of the year in the B1G.

Trayce Jackson-Davis finished the year averaging 13.5 points and 8.4 rebounds with almost two blocks a game. It was a stellar season by almost any standard, but for Jackson-Davis, it was not enough for him to capture the admiration of NBA scouts. Jackson-Davis is a player of huge potential with a likely NBA future, however, it seems as though he will need another year to prove himself NBA scouts and executives. So what does Jackson-Davis need to do to earn himself a spot in the 2021 NBA draft?

1. Develop a hook shot

There’s no denying that  Jackson-Davis is an excellent scorer. One thing that is missing from his game is a reliable hook shot. Jackson-Davis usually scores by rim-running or by hitting his defender with a quick spin-move on the baseline but he is not always effective with his back to the basket.

In Archie Miller’s offense this past year, Jackson-Davis had a lot of post touches but was not able to capitalize as much as he should’ve due to the lack of a quality hook shot. Having access to a killer hook shot would do wonders for Jackson-Davis and Indiana. With this added element of his game, the opposition will need to focus even more attention on him when he’s in the post allowing him to find a cutting teammate or a shooter out on the perimeter.

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