Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Jackson (ankle) will be re-evaluated in one week, Janis Carr of The Orange County Register reports. The big man suffered a high right ankle sprain on March 27 against Indiana and will be out for a third consecutive game on Thursday night versus Portland. The regular season ends next Sunday, so it's possible the Clippers won't have Jackson available until the postseason. Starting center Brook Lopez looks set for a heavy workload in the final few games, while John Collins will see more time at the No. 5 spot.

Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Jackson (ankle) will remain out on Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs. He sprained his right ankle last week and is still being evaluated to determine a return timetable. Jackson had been a good mid-season addition to the Clippers' second unit, averaging 7.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 15.9 minutes. During Jackson's absence, Brook Lopez's workload has increased as the starting center. He produced a solid all-around line across 38 minutes against Portland on Tuesday, finishing a 114-104 defeat with 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three blocks. In Thursday's matchup against the defensively elite Victor Wembanyama, Lopez is unlikely to have a significant impact on offense.

Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Jackson (ankle) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jackson was forced to make an early exit from Friday's game due to a right ankle injury. It appears to be significant enough to hold him out of Sunday's contest. The absence of Jackson means that John Collins or possibly Nicolas Batum will get extra minutes whenever Brook Lopez is off the court. Collins should see more playing time on Sunday, which will make him a more appealing streaming option for this game.

Los Angeles Clippers forward/center Isaiah Jackson (ankle) didn't finish Friday's contest against the Indiana Pacers, Lauren Rosen of FanDuel Sports Network SoCal reports. He missed the end of the game after tweaking his right ankle early in the fourth quarter. Jackson finished the night with four points and four rebounds in 14 minutes. Since joining the Clippers from Indiana, Jackson has served as Brook Lopez's backup at center. John Collins will see more time at the No. 5 spot if Jackson can't play on Sunday against Milwaukee.

Los Angeles Clippers center Isaiah Jacksonwill not be available Friday in Sacramento as his move to Los Angeles has yet to be finalized, keeping his team debut on hold until at least Sunday against Minnesota. In the meantime, the Clippers will continue to split frontcourt minutes between veteran Brook Lopez and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Lopez and Niederhauser are both fringe plays short-term, though Niederhauser carries more upside in the late-season rotation after logging 25 minutes for 10 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks last game. Once active, Jackson's strong per-minute profile of 13.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes could quickly crowd the center rotation.

The Indiana Pacers are trading center Isaiah Jackson to the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal that includes Ivica Zubac and Bennedict Mathurin, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Jackson has spent the first five seasons of his career in Indiana, averaging 7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 15 minutes per game. With the Clippers trading Zubac, the center position has opened up with 37-year-old Brook Lopez and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Jackson is likely to come off the bench for the Clippers and is not expected to see his fantasy value improve in this deal.

Indiana Pacers center Isaiah Jackson (concussion) is available to play ahead of Saturday's game against the Detroit Pistons. Jackson has cleared the league's concussion protocol and will play for the first time since December 22. He has missed the last 13 games, so it wouldn't be shocking to see the Pacers ease him back into action. Jay Huff figures to remain the starting center, so Jackson will compete for backup minutes with Tony Bradley and Micah Potter. Jackson isn't a very attractive streaming option at the moment, but could gain value once he's back to full speed.

Indiana Pacers center Isaiah Jackson (concussion) will miss Saturday's game against Miami, extending his absence to 10 games as he continues through the league's concussion protocol. The Pacers' center rotation has been fluid, creating uneven fantasy value. Jay Huff has recently regained momentum, averaging 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.8 three-pointers over his last four games in 22.9 minutes, after Micah Potter briefly flashed earlier. Still, the shifting minutes make Huff a risky streamer. Potter and Tony Bradley remain watchlist options only.

Indiana Pacers center Isaiah Jackson has signed a new deal with the organization on Friday. According to Shams Charania, Jackson has agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal with the Pacers. Jackson only appeared in five games last season before suffering a torn right Achilles tendon. Through four seasons, Jackson is averaging 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists across 15.0 minutes per game in 162 contests. The 23-year-old now has a clear path to playing time with Myles Turner departing this offseason. It's worth noting that Jackson hasn't played more than 16.8 minutes per game in a single season. It's unclear how he'll perform with such a high increase in playing time, but his fantasy value should be on the rise without Turner in the mix.

Indiana Pacers center Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) is done for the season after suffering an injury during Friday's game. Jackson suffered a torn right Achilles tendon which was a non-contact play during Friday's loss. Fellow big man James Wiseman (Achilles) suffered a season-ending injury on Opening Night. The Pacers have now lost two big men what seems like only a handful of games. That leaves Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker as the primary big men behind Myles Turner. Toppin hasn't been great this season, but is worth looking at with the Pacers extremely shorthanded now. He's averaging 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across 20 minutes per game and his playing time is only going to increase now.

Indiana Pacers center Isaiah Jackson will move into the starting five ahead of Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics. The Pacers will be without Myles Turner (ankle), so Jackson getting the starting nod shouldn't be surprising. He could see significant run with backup center James Wiseman (Achilles) out for the year, so the Pacers are limited in terms of big men. Obi Toppin should get some minutes at the center spot, but Jackson is the much better streaming option between the two. Fantasy managers should consider Jackson a possible streaming choice until Jackson returns.

Indiana Pacers center Isaiah Jackson (groin) is available ahead of Friday's game against the New York Knicks. The big man is set to make his season debut after sitting out the season opener. Normally, Jackson's status isn't noteworthy, but he's now the primary backup center with James Wiseman (Achilles) done for the season. The assumption is that Jackson will absorb some of the playing time that Wiseman was going to get this season. Unfortunately, Jackson probably will still only see minutes in the teens, which makes him tough to trust while Myles Turner is healthy.

Indiana Pacers center Isaiah Jackson (groin) is listed as questionable ahead of the season opener against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. The good news is that the Pacers are considering Jackson as day-to-day with this minor groin issue. Head coach Rick Carlisle doesn't believe this is something that is going to sideline Jackson for long. The absence of Jackson would probably mean James Wiseman serves as the primary backup center to Myles Turner. Wiseman is a former top draft pick, but hasn't lived up to the hype. He might see 15-20 minutes without Jackson, but he hasn't proven to be a trustworthy option throughout his career.

Indiana Pacers forward/center Isaiah Jackson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Friday's contest against Cleveland. He's gone from questionable to out due to a left hamstring strain. Jackson's absence means a heavy workload for Myles Turner and Jalen Smith against Cleveland's twin towers of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. It's a rough matchup for the duo, with the Cavaliers giving up the fifth-fewest points in the league to opposing centers.

Indiana Pacers forward/center Isaiah Jackson (concussion) is listed as questionable for Tuesday's game against the Nuggets. He's sat out two games while being in concussion protocol. However, it looks like Jackson could be cleared to return on Tuesday. The 22-year-old is a good per-minute performer, but he doesn't get a lot of playing time for the Pacers behind Myles Turner, and Pascal Siakam's addition to the frontcourt will further complicate Jackson's situation.

Indiana Pacers center Isaiah Jackson (concussion) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns. The big man exited early and landed in concussion protocol on Thursday. As a result, Jackson sat out on Friday and will miss Sunday's game as well. When healthy, Jackson is going to face an uphill battle for playing time. Pascal Siakam is going to start and play the bulk of the minutes, so Jackson will battle with Jalen Smith for minutes off the bench.

Indiana Pacers forward/center Isaiah Jackson (finger) remains on the injury report as questionable as the team gets ready for Monday's rematch versus Boston. Jackson has suffered a hairline fracture to his right fifth finger, but he's managed to play through the injury and logged nine minutes in Saturday's 118-101 loss to the Celtics. It appears likely that Jackson will also be available on Monday. The 21-year-old has bags of potential but is in a rough spot fantasy-wise in Indiana as long as Myles Turner and Jalen Smith stay healthy.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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Indiana Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson played well during Monday's Summer League matchup against the Orlando Magic. Jackson recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes of action. The 21-year-old was able to carry some fantasy value last season due to his defensive ability. He averaged 1.2 blocks per game to go along with 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game. His fantasy potential is limited with Myles Turner still in Indiana. In fact, the Pacers signed Turner to a two-year extension, so that's not good news for Jackson. He'll likely only end up as a deep league option again due to lack of playing time.

Indiana Pacers forward/center Isaiah Jackson (knee) has been cleared to play Saturday versus Brooklyn. He sat out Friday's meeting with Washington due to left knee soreness, but the team will welcome him back against the short-handed Nets. Jackson has averaged 7.3 points per game with 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks as Myles Turner's backup this season. He is still waiting to break out and Jackson's fate depends a lot on Turner's future. With Jackson available Saturday, Goga Bitadze loses a spot in the rotation, but he hasn't been fantasy-relevant anyway.