Maryland’s Justin Jackson selected 43rd overall in NBA Draft by Denver, traded to Orlando

Maryland basketball has its NBA Draft second selection of the night.

Sophomore forward Justin Jackson was selected late in the second round, as the No. 43 overall pick to the Denver Nuggets. He was then traded to the Magic for the No. 41 pick, Jared Vanderbilt.

The Canadian stood out last offseason, declaring for the draft without an agent after averaging 10.5 points and six rebounds, while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and beyond the arc. He’d return for a sophomore season with lottery expectations ahead of him, but was shut down after averaging 9.8 points and 8.1 rebounds, shooting just 25 percent beyond the arc, in 11 games.

Jackson would have surgery in January and be the first Terp to declare for the draft, signing an agent. He underwent measurements at the draft combine, but still hasn’t cleared the six-month timeline for contact. The surgery and down year wasn’t enough to keep the versatile 6’7 forward out of the draft’s 60 picks.

Jackson should be ready for contact in July, but it will depend on just how healthy he is whether he suits up for Orlando in Summer League. Should he survive past training camp, he’ll join a Magic team that went 25-57 last year.

Jackson will have the luxury of joining a rebuilding team, and likely has some G-League designations with the Lakeland Magic in his future. He joins Kevin Huerter, as the second Terp selected on Thursday. Huerter was Maryland’s highest selection since 2013, going 19th overall to the Hawks.

This story has been updated to reflect Jackson being swapped from Denver to Orlando.