The Memphis Grizzlies selected GG Jackson in the 2023 NBA Draft

Former South Carolina forward GG Jackson is headed to the NBA.

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The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Jackson in the second round and 45th overall in Thursday night’s 2023 NBA Draft, marking the end of the Gregory “GG” Jackson II era in South Carolina. Jackson celebrated the selection in a draft party event at Williams-Brice Stadium, surrounded by family, friends and members of the USC program.

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His name was called in the draft just after midnight, about five hours after he arrived at the party. The two-round draft includes 60 total picks.

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“It was a long night sitting here,” Jackson said. “You expect for better, but at the end of the day your dream is to land somewhere in the NBA, and I feel like God has put me in the right situation.”

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Jackson, 18, is the first underclassman drafted in program history and the first NBA Draft pick for the program since the Milwaukee Bucks selected Sindarius Thornwell in the second round (48th overall) in 2017. (The Bucks traded Thornwell’s draft rights to the Los Angeles Clippers.)

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USC’s last first-round pick was Renaldo Balkman, a 20th overall pick by the New York Knicks in 2006.

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Once thought of as a potential lottery pick, Jackson played just one season for the Gamecocks but represented a monumental win for first-year head coach Lamont Paris on the recruiting trail. The Ridge View High star initially committed to the University of North Carolina as the top prospect in the 2023 class but reclassified to 2022 and opted to play for the hometown Gamecocks instead.

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Opening the season as a 17-year-old, Jackson showcased both tantalizing upside and frustrating rawness in an up-and-down 2022-23 season. Jackson led the Gamecocks with 15.4 points per game, shooting 38% from the field, 32% from the 3-point line and finishing second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game.

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Though he showed a natural scoring touch and an ability to create his own looks, the 6-foot-9, 215-pound wing had issues with decision-making and lacked defensive intensity at times.

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“As a basketball player, (NBA teams) do a good job of evaluating that, but when they asked me, I talked about who he is as a person,” Paris said Thursday. “And he’s a superstar as a person, to be honest. I always tell them, if you draft him, and the basketball works out the way I think it’ll work out, you’ll have a superstar on your hands.”

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There were several instances during the 2022-23 season when Paris and his coaching staff expressed frustration with Jackson not hustling down the court. Body language was an issue that popped, and the Gamecocks briefly benched Jackson after he complained in a social media post about not getting the ball.

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Still, some of Jackson’s brightest moments came in USC’s biggest games, like his 24-point showing against Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament or his 19-point effort in USC’s overtime loss to No. 1 Alabama.

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The volatile nature of Jackson’s freshman season led to a slip in draft stock, with NBA scouts raising questions about his maturity. Because he reclassified, Jackson was the youngest Division I player in the country last season, and he’ll be a developmental prospect — with tremendous upside — in the NBA.

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Jackson said that he heard from NBA evaluators who told him he was a top five kind of talent but that his youth and rawness raised questions.

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“I’m boiling inside right now — definitely,” Jackson said of his long wait Thursday night. “But at the end of the day, still a huge blessing. And you know, I started from the bottom and became the No. 1 recruit in high school.

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“I feel like I’m just starting from the bottom again. I’ve got to work my way back to the top.”

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Hunter Tyson to NBA champs

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Clemson basketball’s Hunter Tyson was drafted 37th overall in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder and then traded to the NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

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Tyson was the highest Clemson player drafted since K.J. McDaniels (32 in 2014) and the first Tiger selected since Jaron Blossomgame (2017).

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Tyson, from Monroe, North Carolina, had a career-best season in 2022-23, landing on the All-ACC first team after averaging 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

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USC Gamecocks NBA Draft picks

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Here’s a look at former Gamecocks who have been picked in the first and second rounds of the NBA Draft, ranked by highest pick:

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This story was originally published 23 June 2023, at 12.06.