As the Toronto Raptors wait for the Kawhi Leonard trade to become official, Bobby Webster is finalizing the back end of his roster. The Raptors agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with former second-round pick Andre Jackson Jr., who spent the first three seasons of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jackson has always had a reputation for being a strong on-ball defender, but his poor jump shot and relative lack of creativity with the ball in his hands has put a hard ceiling on his potential at the next level. Dalton Sell, who is the expert at Behind the Buck Pass, FanSided's home for all things Milwaukee Bucks, is not a Jackson optimist. Sell compared Jackson to an infamously passive player on the offensive side of the ball.
"[Jackson is a] good defender with great athleticism, but he has Ben Simmons’ confidence on offense and only goes for putback dunks," Sell said. " [He] shoots the occasional three and can hit them, but passes them up a lot." How many Raptors bench players have had this exact same copy-pasted scouting report?
Bucks expert has scathing review of Toronto Raptors signee Andre Jackson Jr's offense
While Jackson did manage to start 43 games in the 2024-25 seasom, his 3.4 points per game average and eventual loss of that starting role suggeststhat his offensive limitations were eventually too much for Milwaukee to stomach in their rotation, even with his defensive acumen.
As is often the case during the Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster eras, Toronto has spent both premium capital and minimum financial resources adding players who can defend multiple spots well, yet lack a varied offensive game. Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby are the hallmark of this team's player development working, but this also leads to players like Precious Achiuwa and Justin Champagnie.
Jackson will join talented center prospect Nate Bittle and former Michigan combo guard Nimauri Burnett on Exhibit 10 contracts, which are often the precursors to a spot on Raptors 905 in the G League. Even as he gets a little long in the tooth for the NBA, Jackson should be able to impress with the 905.
With Chucky Hepburn, Trey Jamison, and second-round pick Jaden Bradley on two-way contracts after Alijah Martin signed a standard NBA deal, the Raptors will have two more spots open when training camp comes around. Perhaps Jackson has a miracle camp and impresses Darko Rajakovic on the court.
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