“It’s going to stop, so why not have a blast?” Rick Pitino said after winning the AP Coach of the Year award last year. In the offseason, he took it upon himself to assemble the Avengers for the Red Storm. He pulled it off, skyrocketing them from No. 15 in the ESPN rankings all the way up to No. 3 thanks to some clutch moves in the transfer portal.    Ian Jackson was one of the elite arrivals, as the former five-star recruit was brought in from the Tar Heels.

“The ball is now in the hands of our next great point [guard]. Let’s go, Ian!”  Rick Pitino wrote while welcoming Ian Jackson to St. John’s, and that just confused the Red Storm fandom. It is true they don’t have anyone prominent at the point in the current roster, but Ian Jackson has never played at that position in his entire college career either. If they want to be contending for the title, they can’t have a newbie running the show, could they?

National analyst Rob Dauster had the same concern, as he said on The Field of 68: After Dark channel, “I am a little bit worried about the point guard situation at St.John’s. Dylan Darling is a guy; he averaged 20 points and six assists last year for Idaho State and Idaho State was a good enough mid-major. He is 6’1 and 180, and he is a point guard and he is a guy that I think can do a job for Pitino at the point. But I am still worried about this idea that Ian Jackson wants to be a point guard. If you have Ian Jackson running the point for St. John’s, I don’t think that’s going to end up working.”

They got in Dylan Darling as insurance on the backcourt, but Dauster feels like he could take that starting spot and responsibility instead of Jackson at that position. “It kind of sold itself,” is what Darling had to say while joining, as he almost immediately decided after he visited St.John’s. He had Tennessee on his agenda and other schools like Illinois, Iowa and Florida as well, but he was mesmerized by the prospect of playing under a coach like Pitino. Despite Jackson having no experience at point guard, Pitino is currently firm on playing Ian as his starter at that position. So can it work? Let’s find out.

Ian Jackson as point guard—can it work?

As we mentioned, if Ian Jackson can play at point, he has yet to show it.  He can run past defenders and create his shot, but a facilitator? No. From what we have seen, passing is not his strength. He got 0.9 assists per game last year playing at shooting guard while averaging 1.2 turnovers. This gives you an assist/turnover ratio below 1.0, which is far from ideal for a point guard.  Even though that’s a different position, we are yet to see any desire to pass first. Every time he gets the ball, his first instinct seems to be to drive with it and he is damn good at that!

While he also has attributes that could suit a point guard, Jackson can hit some highly contested jumpers and layups, blowing past defenders with ease. Jackson averaged 11.9 points on an efficient 45.6% from the floor. Jackson can transition into being a point guard, but will need both good coaching, which Pitino will definitely provide, and also the hunger to learn from Jackson. He would have to want to change; it can’t happen without it. If he continues playing the same type of game, then, as Dauster said, it won’t work.

The St.John’s roster is filled with players like Jackson; all can effectively play on their own. Bryce Hopkins, Joson Sanon, and Oziyah Sellers look to go for that flashy run and finish on their own. Together, they combined for 5.5 assists per game in their last full seasons. In a system where any one of them is running point with others rotating to other positions, it theoretically could work. Another question remains: will they play better with a proper point guard like Dylan Darling running the show?

Darling, the Big Sky Player of the Year, averaged 19.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in his first season with the Bengals after spending the previous two seasons at Washington State. Darling can go past defenders for a drive, too, but at the same time, he can also stay calm and look for that pass. His assist numbers are way ahead of Jackson’s, so he is the more reliable choice. The physicality is somewhat Darling’s weakness, but he is a fighter. It could be foreseen that Pitino will experiment with Jackson in the beginning, and if it doesn’t work out, then Darling could slot in. If anyone can transition Ian into a point guard, it’s Pitino.