Oklahoma City Thunder forward Justin Jackson has been waived, the team announced on Monday morning.
Jackson’s playing time had been very inconsistent for the Thunder, and the bulk of his recent appearances have been due to injuries to other players. In the 13 games since the All-Star break, Jackson was a DNP in five games, played less than 17 minutes in five and broke the 20-minute mark in three.
Over the 33 games he appeared in this season, Jackson averaged 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 16.5 minutes per game. He made three starts.
Jackson, 26 and on the last year of his contract before hitting restricted free agency, did not quite fit into the Thunder’s timeline so his minutes came secondary to young players OKC has spent the season evaluating.
When he did play, he showed an ability to be a ball handler and playmaker from the forward position, though it’s a skill that still needs improvement.
Oklahoma City was Jackson’s third team over four years in the NBA. Drafted No. 15 overall in 2017 by the Sacramento Kings, Jackson was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in his second season as part of the Harrison Barnes deal. He played in Dallas his full third year before being traded to the Thunder last offseason.
Jackson will hope to find a real role on a different team to create some value heading into free agency.
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