South Carolina natives G.G. Jackson, Noah Clowney meet again at Pacers workout
INDIANAPOLIS -- G.G. Jackson and Noah Clowney are used to seeing each other in basketball settings.
The two forwards played high school ball at South Carolina powerhouses about an hour and 40 minutes apart with Jackson playing in Columbia's Ridge View High School and Clowney playing at Dorman near Spartanburg. They met in the Class 5A state playoffs in 2021, to say nothing of travel tournaments, and they both played their one season of college ball in the SEC with Jackson staying close to home at South Carolina and Clowney at Alabama.
So it was nice that when they got to take part in a group draft workout Tuesday with the Pacers, they got to go up against each other. It was particularly helpful for Clowney, who was taking part in his first group workout at an NBA team's facility.
"That's my guy," Clowney said after the workout at Ascension St. Vincent Center. "I wouldn't necessarily say it helped me, because I felt like I did what I was supposed to do regardless, but there's a sense of comfort. Somebody here I know I can talk to."
The two young men have differentiated their games some. Jackson, who measured 6-8 1/4, 214 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine, has focused on his perimeter game and become more of a wing. Clowney, who did not measure at the combine but was listed at 6-10, 210, is more post-oriented, even though he does step out to shoot 3-pointers. However, they are in similar circumstances as draft prospects. Each player has holes in their game at the moment, but huge potential for growth which makes them likely first-round picks who could sneak up into the middle of the first if someone is willing to take a gamble. There's no reason to believe the Pacers would gamble on one of them with the No. 7 overall pick, but they might have to trade up from their next pick, No. 26, to be able to land one of them.
Jackson took a fast track to the NBA, possibly too fast. He was the top-rated recruit in the Class of 2023 and was committed to play at North Carolina, but he decided last July to reclassify to the Class of 2022, decommit from UNC and commit to his hometown school. By throwing himself into the fire, he exposed himself to struggle.
Jackson showed plenty of flashes of NBA caliber talent with power forward-size and wing skill and athleticism, proving he could drive from the perimeter and hit 3-pointers and mid-range shots. However, he wasn't consistent or efficient. He averaged 15.4 points per game, but needed 14.4 field goal attempts per game to get there. He shot a mediocre 38.4% from the floor. He hit 55 3-pointers, but on 170 attempts for a 32.4% clip. He shot just 41.9% from 2-point range. According to hoop-math.com, he made 60.5% of his shots at the rim (74 of 122) but just 28.4% of his 2-point jumpers (48 of 169).
According to KenPom.com, Jackson had one of the highest usage rates in the nation, taking 31.8% of the shots when he was on the floor, but had a mediocre effective field goal percentage of .444 and a sub-par offensive rating of 91.6.
"My usage rate was very, very high," Jackson said. "And my shooting splits were not the best."
And at times he struggled with consistency, which is perhaps not surprising considering that he was 17 when he played his first college games and won't be 19 until December of this year. He acknowledged his body language wasn't always the best in the midst of the Gamecocks' 11-21 season, and at one point he went on Instagram Live after a game and lamented not getting the ball enough in crunch time and not having plays run for him.
"I had a lot of ups and downs in college," Jackson said.
Despite that, he still thinks re-classifying was the right call.
"It's probably one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life," Jackson said. "I feel like eventually I was going to find myself here. Thank God I was here a step earlier. Maturity, I think that comes with time, that comes with yourself. I think I'm doing a good job of processing everything."
And he believes he's taking lessons learned to his offensive game and applying them.
"My trainer tells me, 'Carbon copy,'" Jackson said. "A lot of reps and just making sure they look the same. There were a lot of shots I took this year that I probably never worked on. We watched a lot of film on my game. Just taking the wrongs that I did during the season and tried to polish them while trying to work on my strengths."
Clowney had a much steadier first year, but that was, in part, because, unlike Jackson, he was not the first offensive option on his team. With SEC Player of the Year and likely top-three pick Brandon Miller getting most of the attention and the shots, Clowney averaged 9.8 points per game on 7.0 field goal attempts, less than half of what Jackson took.
Clowney was dominant around the rim, making 70.6% of his shots there and hitting 66.9% of his 2-pointers. However, he does have outside shooting range and he was free to take 3s in Alabama coach Nate Oats' wide-open system. He hit just 34 of 120 attempts but was never told to stop shooting and still believes that can be an asset for him in the NBA.
"I'm a capable shooter," Clowney said. "My shot has to be consistent."
Clowney blocked 34 shots as a freshman and is capable of more rim protection, but he also believes he needs to show he can be a more versatile defender who can guard on the perimeter.
"I can guard, but I want people to know I can guard multiple ways," Clowney said. "I can contain people, but I can also push people a certain way, guard multiple people, guard multiple positions. ... I'd imagine when I first start practicing, I'm going to struggle guarding smaller guys. They've been doing this a lot longer than me. They know their angles just as well as me and they're also quick. I'm having to learn as far as that goes. As far as protecting the rim, that doesn't really change."
On some level, Jackson might have the higher ceiling between the two, because it's at least possible to imagine him as a three-level, go-to scorer. Clowney might shoot less, but the capacity to be a two-way player might ultimately make him the more valuable option.
"If you want me to just guard and play D, that's what I'm going to do," Clowney said. "And hit shots."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Forwards G.G. Jackson, Noah Clowney work out for Pacers
