West Linn to the NBA? Evaluators say Jackson Shelstad isn't short on potential
He may only be 6-feet tall, but the NBA radar is still picking up on Oregon's point guard.
PORTLAND — John Ross made a career out of talent evaluation because he knew what to look for.
He spent 14 years in basketball operations with the Portland Trail Blazers, carving out a role in the video department and later finding his niche scouting the NBA Draft.
Ross departed the Blazers organization shortly after the Neil Olshey era came to an end, and roughly a year later, took up a seat next to Portland-based professional basketball trainer, Jacob Begin, at the 2022 Les Schwab Invitational in late December. Midway through one of the tournament’s opening games, Begin turned to Ross with a question.
Did he believe Jackson Shelstad, one of Begin’s clients, had a chance to make it to the NBA?
Ross was defiant in his stance. He loved the guard’s game, from his blinding speed to his effortless mid-range jumper, but the size gave him pause. Six-feet tall just wouldn’t cut it.
As of this January, only 11 players Shelstad’s height, or shorter, are rostered in the NBA. Bump the criteria up to 6-foot-1, and 20 more players fit the billing. Every year, Ross said, only one player with such a physical profile gets a shot to graduate to the NBA level.
As that week at the tournament went on, he watched Shelstad and West Linn lap the competition at the LSI; He observed the guard hold his own that spring at the Nike Hoops Summit; He continued to attend Shelstad’s private workouts, something he’d done since the guard was a junior. And slowly, he changed his mind on Shelstad. Ross underwent a 180-degree flip.
Rather, Shelstad left him no choice.
“As a scout,” Ross said, “I'm someone who went in skeptical, looking at an undersized guard who's not an elite athlete or anything, and walked away from watching a handful of his games and watching his workouts, going, ‘Yeah, I believe in him.’
“I think that's what he carries, is the ability to have people who watch him play go, ‘Yeah, this kid's gonna find a way to make it.’”
Thirteen games into his Oregon career, Shelstad has certainly found his way. Injuries thrust the freshman into an early role (he’s second on the team at 30.8 minutes per game). It’s one he was confident in his ability to command, one head coach Dana Altman allowed him to thrive in, and one his teammates have accepted him as: An alpha for these Ducks.
“I just assumed eventually,” said Ross, “he's going to lead that team, because he's got that mentality… It's a quiet confidence, quiet humility.”
He added: “Just from seeing his ability to play against high level players, I was like, you know, as soon as he gets his opportunity in Oregon, it's gonna be his team.”
It hasn’t gone unnoticed. Shelstad is on the NBA radar and it begs the questions: Is he ready for the leap?
Could another year or two benefit him? If so, where does his game need to grow?