NEW YORK — Andre Jackson Jr. reports to work every day and finds himself surrounded by veterans of NBA battles, stars, some of them super, and champions.
And according to coach Adrian Griffin, they gravitate toward Jackson, 22, the youngest member of the Milwaukee Bucks, the rookie from UConn.
Because he listens, learns, cares about the right things.
“You’ve got to earn their respect first,” Jackson said Monday, as he made his way out of Madison Square Garden where the Bucks took a rare loss to the Knicks. “How many rookies have they seen come and go? I just want to go and show my energy and effort and by the way I carry myself every day that I belong here. And feel like they pick up on that competitive nature that I have.”
Jackson played 14 minutes against the Knicks, picked up two points, two rebounds and an assist, occasionally taking on the challenge of slowing down Jalen Brunson, who dropped 38 in New York’s 129-122 win. But as always, with Jackson, there is more than what meets the eye perusing the stat sheet, it’s about what meets the eyes that are paying attention to the game.
“He’s a winner. No.1, he’s a winner, he makes winning plays,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. “A lot of the stuff he does is not always related to the box score, but you always see the impact he has on the game. He kind of sticks out on our roster because of his athleticism. You notice him. When he’s out there, he’s above the rim, he’s tipping out shots or rebounds so we can get second-chance opportunities. All those little things. He’s extremely coachable, he has a motor. We just love having Dre around, he has a bright future.”
These things may be new to Milwaukee fans or NBA folk, but not for those who watched Jackson at UConn, where it was not unusual for him to go scoreless, even shot-less, and still look like the most important player on the court.
Christmas morning at The Garden, familiar face in town pic.twitter.com/OLV1H8KvS0
— Dom Amore (@AmoreCourant) December 25, 2023
After he tore himself away from college in the weeks following the national championship, Jackson was drafted in the second round, 36th overall. Griffin, who was a college teammate of Dan Hurley, and is the father of UConn women’s standout Aubrey Griffin, had access to all the information he needed.
“He’s like the prototype of the type of player you want in the NBA,” Griffin said.
Once the Bucks got a look at Jackson, his ability to guard any position, it was clear that he could play a role far greater than the average No. 36 pick. He made the roster, and now he is sticking in the rotation, starting games on back-to-back nights, playing and 26 minutes (10 points, eight rebounds) in a win over Detroit on Dec. 16, then 36 minutes (nine points, six rebounds) in a win over Houston on the 17th.
“I’m just so proud of what he’s doing,” Hurley said. “They love him, the organization loves him, all the right players love him because he’s a winner. He does all the stuff that he brought to us that dragged us to a championship.”
Andre Jackson Jr.
pic.twitter.com/3o8EKMYVxQ
— Jake Weinbach (@JWeinbachNBA) November 18, 2023
Jackson, 6 feet 6, is averaging 10.5 minutes, 2.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, all those numbers trending in the right direction. He’s even shooting 44 percent on 3-pointers.
The Bucks, who won the NBA championship in 2021, still have a number of players from that team. They’ve averaged 54.2 wins per year since 2018, and at 22-8 are breathing down the first-place Celtics’ necks in the Eastern Conference.
With 10 players age 28 or over, six with at least 10 years in The League and, now, Damian Lillard on board to try to put them over the top, Milwaukee is not the place for a rookie with all the answers, or who is overly concerned with anything but winning.
In other words, it’s a perfect place for Jackson.
“They see that my only goal is to win the game,” Jackson said. “A lot of young guys nowadays, they worry about themselves. I’m a very unselfish player, especially on a team where you’re playing with a lot of superstars, that’s what they want. They want guys who are going to be unselfish, go out and do the dirty work, and get them the ball.”
The most illustrious of Jackson’s new teammates is Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP, the player whose words and actions matter most here.
“Sometimes you’re just in awe about the stuff he can do on the court,” Jackson said. “But also, he’s a great teammate and somebody that’s a leader. He’ll come up to you and try to teach you how to be better. He always is pulling me aside, telling me, ‘hey, do this, do that,’ giving me tips, giving me confidence as well, telling me about when he was in my shoes.”
He’s living the professional’s life now, but Jackson is still connected to teammates and coaches back at UConn. He called to check in after the Huskies’ loss last week.
“He was so disappointing in the way we played at Seton Hall, he was on the phone with every staff member but me,” Hurley said, “pissed off over how the boys showed up.”
Jackson crossed paths with Adama Sanogo, who was with the Bulls and is now with their G League affiliate. He hasn’t seen Jordan Hawkins yet; the Bucks play New Orleans Jan. 27.
“Those are my brothers for life, we did something special together,” Jackson said. “We went through highs and lows together, so with UConn’s highs and lows, I’ll always be a part of the UConn family and UConn nation.”
Jackson was planning to see his family Christmas night, including his grandmother, in town from Amsterdam, N.Y. The Bucks are in the middle of a three-game stretch in New York, having beaten the Knicks on Saturday, with a game at Brooklyn on Tuesday.
“Every day, every possession, every time there’s even a moment of doubt, I always tell myself I belong,” Jackson said. “And I believe it, too. I believe I belong here. This is what I set out to do when I first started taking basketball seriously as a young kid, I told myself I’m going to make it to this level. Now, I’m here and every day is an opportunity. I’ve just got to take advantage of it.”
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