Milwaukee Bucks rookie Andre Jackson Jr. had his first career double-double on Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors. The 22-year-old finished with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, to go along with a career-high 10 rebounds to help the Bucks secure a 129-118 victory over a shorthanded Warriors side.
It was another breakout performance from the young stud — one that drew some high praise from his star teammates.
Khris Middleton Lauds Andre Jackson Jr’s Impact on Milwaukee Bucks
Khris Middleton has definitely been noticing Jackson’s recent rise. Saturday’s big game against the Warriors was merely another step in the ladder for the former UConn standout as Jackson looks to establish a bigger role for himself in head coach Adrian Griffin’s rotation:
“He’s finding his role. He’s finding how he can impact games,” Middleton said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “It’s not always with scoring. It’s the extra possessions, offensive rebounds, guarding their best player, chasing screens like Klay tonight or guarding the ball. He’s been excellent all season long and you can see his confidence is growing.”
One of Jackson’s most impressive plays of the evening was when he came flying in for a two-handed putback slam off of a Malik Beasley missed three. It was an awesome display of this young man’s athleticism:
AJax outta nowhere! pic.twitter.com/2yWTk3aXi0
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 14, 2024
Flight 44. https://t.co/mz3mEG8GSH pic.twitter.com/t7P3ntsQsg
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 14, 2024
“That was impressive, man,” Middleton said. “That came out of nowhere.”
Damian Lillard Likes What He Sees
Bucks superstar point guard Damian Lillard echoed Middleton’s praise for Jackson. Dame has also seen significant progress in the 6-foot-6 shooting guard:
“I think you’re just starting to see the game slow down for him a little bit,” Lillard said. “He’s always brought the energy to effort, but you’re starting to see him make good basketball plays within that. He’s just not as sped up. When you get more experience, you get more opportunity, the game starts to slow down for you, and you’re starting to see a slow down a little bit for him.”
Jackson isn’t exactly an X-Factor for the Bucks just yet, but even Lillard is adamant that the rookie has already done enough to impact the game whenever he’s on the court:
“We’re not old, but we’re older than he is. We’ve been around this league for a while, so that natural young energy that he plays with is just different,” Lillard said. “It brings something different to the game. So when you can blend that with him being able to see the game at a slower pace as well, it changes the game for us. He’s able to have a even greater impact on the game because it’s not just energy and sometimes activity without achievement.”
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