New Orleans Pelicans, David Griffin Show Appreciation For Frank Jackson's Subtle Style

Frank Jackson knows this is a crucial year. His cheerful nature is more subdued in the locker room; his intensity more focused than ever.

Injuries have derailed his career since being drafted. Foot problems scared teams away, otherwise, Jackson would have been a lottery pick. He had two foot surgeries during his rookie season. He rolled his ankle in his NBA Summer League debut two years ago, costing him months of regular-season time. Now fully healthy and entering his third professional season, Jackson is ready to lead the Pelicans young second unit.

The Pelicans are a deep team with only so many minutes to go around. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Josh Hart are fan favorites brought in by David Griffin. E'Twuan Moore and JJ Redick are trusted, steady veterans. Jackson is an unproven talent; a project from a past era that has yet to provide a return on the team's investment.

Jackson has the explosive athleticism and potential to push for NBA Sixth Man of the Year consideration. He could jump from being paid $1.3 million to over $10 million with one good season. However, the team's depth could see him toil away as the sixth substitute on the depth chart. The possibilities for Jackson's season, career, and life are endless. For better or worse, it all rides on this season.

Usually, newly-hired sporting executives take time to clear out the pet project of the past regime. David Griffin took the opposite approach with Jackson. Griffin praised Jackson during the Pelicans' media day. Griffin even took to Twitter, replying to a local beat reporter that Jackson is "an incredible teammate, tireless worker and on-ball defender."

Jackson displayed a new level of on-court understanding in his three quarters of action in Las Vegas this summer. He scored 30 points in 32 minutes and then gave Alexander-Walker the keys to the Summer League team. Jackson proved his skills are ready for the NBA regular season. Summer League scrubs just could not contain Jackson.

He proved himself a capable NBA rotation player last year, though only after the team was out of playoff contention. Now he must prove he is a perfect fit behind Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball while helping the New Orleans Pelicans push for a playoff spot.

Jackson has performed with a renewed sense of confidence this preseason. Jackson played a solid 17 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs, though he finished at negative-2 for the night. He was more dynamic in the two previous games. He scored 14 points on ten shots, dished out two assists, grabbed two rebounds, and snatched a steal in only 19 minutes at home, posting a plus-10 rating against the Utah Jazz.

Jackson made all four of his three-point attempts against Chicago. He added three assists, two rebounds, and a steal to the stat sheet while finishing at plus-19 for the game. Even in shaking off the offseason rust against Atlanta, Jackson already looked more composed but also more explosive than ever, finishing the night with plus-7 rating.

Plus/Minus is not the great stat. Still, no matter who is on the court with Jackson, the Pelicans consistently outscore opponents when he plays. That was not always the case, though the team's supporting cast in previous seasons inspired little optimism among the fanbase. Jackson, Kenrich Williams, and Jahlil Okafor have endeared themselves to the fans and the new front office just enough to be afforded a final season to prove themselves.

Jackson said the team "came out super strong and executed our game plan" against Atlanta, and though it "wasn't as pretty" the Pelicans "got the job done" in Chicago. That will likely be the story many times this season as the Pelicans bench depth will grind out more than a few wins. The starting unit only needs to keep the game close, and the second wave of talent will be enough to overcome many teams. That will be Jackson's time to shine.

Jackson can score, there is no doubt. Proving he can make the team better when he is not finishing a drive is a far different challenge. Jackson's development was hampered while dealing with injuries. Offseason rehab makes approaching skill development more difficult. It is less stressful for players when they feel an ability to just go out and play with NBA caliber confidence to match their talents. Worrying about pushing too hard really hampers a player's ability to help others.

Jackson expressed his eagerness to get the season started. Asked about how he felt after a grinding game against Utah, Jackson replied, "I haven't felt this good, ever. It's great. I got some good work in this summer. I'm looking forward to getting in a full year."

Jackson has the measurables to match most All-Stars. He did so most of the summer, as Jackson and other players spent most of the summer camped out at Jrue Holiday's home gym. Those battles, at full strength, gave Jackson the confidence to enter the season knowing he can feature in an NBA rotation.

Jackson said during media day, ''I had the opportunity [over the summer] to stay with Jrue at his house, and it was a great time. The Holiday Ranch, it's not bad.''

It was expected Jackson would be battling Nickeil Alexander-Walker for minutes, especially after David Griffin's comments during media day. Instead, Jackson and Alexander-Walker have looked as in-tune as the best back up band in New Orleans. Jackson and Alexander-Walker have overwhelmed opposing reserve units this preseason.

Jackson has enjoyed being able to play without restrictions. He is also enjoying the new atmosphere around the team. Instead of a soured season lamenting busted playoff hopes, Jackson got to laugh at Zion Williamson busting a golf club during a team outing.

Asked about playing actual games after a long offseason of building expections, Jackson said, "It's great, it's been a lot of fun. We've worked hard for the last ten days and really looking forward to the season. Just playing with this group of guys, this core, has been so fun. We go out there and play hard and we are all getting better."

There have been many changes to the roster and the locker room dynamic. Still, Jackson remains loyal to some routines. So far this preseason, Jackson has only rocked beige sneakers. From a distance, the Nike's look more like construction books, which fits Griffin's Twitter description of Jackson's game. However, Jackson moves down the court too quickly for that to be the case. In a blue-collar routine, it will take him a while to move off of the colorway.

Jackson said after the game versus Utah, "The creamy wheats have done me right so far, so I'll probably stick with those for a while. I'll probably switch to another colorway when something special pops up."

The Pelicans are featured on national television on a few special occasions. Christmas Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day being the two most obvious occasions to sport special edition sneakers.

As for learning the ropes with the new roster, Jackson said, "I think we learned from the games. We grew tremendously. Preseason is the time to get those kinks out and get better before the big lights come on."

Jackson told the New Orleans Pelicans team podcast, "We really need to lock in defensively. (Focus on) Playing hard on and off the ball 100% of the time. We kind of took some plays off last night and let the score get away from us. I think we have to lock in defensively and continue to take care of the ball and limit our turnovers."

Jackson has done his best Jrue Holiday impression with his off-ball combo guard play. He has been hitting his off-the-dribble shots in transition and late in the shot clock, moving well without the ball, and generally guiding the reserve squad to a positive point differential throughout the preseason. With Alexander-Walker running the point, Jackson on the wing, and Nicolo Melli on the low block, the Pelicans have been running the opposition off the court.

Jackson knows tough times. He learned a bit more about patience. He also knows Gentry's system is built for his skill set and that he has a great opportunity to run into a prominent role on a playoff team. Many players have had to move to different teams to play larger roles. When asked if that was a tempting option, Jackson was just focused on this season and this city.

He knows that should the Pelicans make the playoffs, the appreciative atmosphere will be worth the time invested in those difficult seasons. The support from the fans has been heard.

Jackson simply stated, "We're backed by the greatest city in the country. I love it."