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NBA DRAFT 2017June 22, 2017Justin JacksonBrooklyn, New York Q. Could you start out with an opening statement what you'll bring to your new team? JUSTIN JACKSON: Opening statement, okay. So I guess first and foremost, I can't say enough for how thankful I am for everybody in my circle, my family, my fiancée, first and foremost, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without him, the blessings and the abilities that He's given me, I wouldn't be here. Now to move on to Sacramento. I mean, it's an honor to be picked by them, knowing I'm going to an organization that I can get right to work. And hopefully I'm going to bring somebody that comes to work each and every day extremely hard and does whatever he needs to do to try to be successful, so I'm really looking forward to it. Q. We talked a little bit yesterday about how you and De'Aaron know each other way back. Now you're ending up on the same tam. Any thoughts about being reunited with someone from your hometown and someone that you played with? JUSTIN JACKSON: Yeah, it's going to be good to at least have kind of a familiar face out there. Sacramento is a long ways away, so to have somebody that I've been around and I know really well, that'll be great. Q. That team with him, you, Kelly Oubre, Justise Winslow, the way things are panning out, we might have to start putting you in the conversation as one of the best AAU teams ever. JUSTIN JACKSON: Yeah, I'll let y'all do that, and it is what it is. But I was lucky to be able to play on a team like that. We had a bunch of good players. You know, if we go down as one of those teams, that would be great. Q. Are you excited about the youth? Obviously De'Aaron is a guy you know, but the youth in Sacramento and obviously trying to build something special there? JUSTIN JACKSON: Yeah, I feel like it's a great situation overall. I mean, it's a good organization. I got to know them a little bit whenever I went out there for a workout, and it seemed like it's a group of guys that is going towards trying to be successful and guys that come in and work every single day. Hopefully I can step right in and continue that, and we'll see where it goes. Q. Sacramento is a small town. You guys are like the movie stars there in all likelihood. Is this an opportunity that you're looking forward to, to be in that kind of small environment? JUSTIN JACKSON: That's a trick question right there. You're trying to get me to already say something bad about my team. Q. It's a fine team -- JUSTIN JACKSON: I'm playing with you. You know, I'm looking forward to it. I mean, I grew up in a small town, so I'm looking forward to it. It was beautiful whenever I went there, and so I'm looking forward to everything. I'm looking forward to being there in Sacramento, getting ready for the Kings and things like that. You know, I'm happy. I'm happy and I'm blessed for sure. Q. A lot of young guys on this roster. I think it's eight guys on rookie scale contracts. Is that how you build this thing? Is that what you're going into thinking, is that how you build this thing? JUSTIN JACKSON: I guess that's what the GM and all of them are thinking. I mean, youth, everybody will mature and everybody is -- like I said before, everybody is trying to work extremely hard. I'm looking forward to it, getting to know the guys a little bit more and getting in there and getting right to work. So you know, I'm looking forward to it. Everything else, whatever happens happens, but I'm really looking forward to it. Q. Hasn't been a lot of wins in Sacramento. You're used to winning. How are you going to deal with that? JUSTIN JACKSON: I'm going to work extremely hard to try to bring more wins. I mean, at the end of the day, whatever the situation that I'm in or any of these guys are in, we've got to deal with it. So for me, I'm going to work my hardest to try to make that situation better as much as I can, and I know everybody else in the organization is. You know, it'll definitely be a group effort, and we're definitely going to try to change things. Q. Following up on that question, how much do you look forward to that challenge of giving that team an identity and turning it into a winner? JUSTIN JACKSON: Man, that's a great challenge to have. For me I've always loved whenever somebody says you can't necessarily do something or whatever. So for me I'm going to go in there, like I said before, work extremely hard. That's the whole mindset. We're going to try to change things and be extremely competitive and try to win as many games as we can. So we'll see how everything falls. Q. As a Christian man, when is a point in your life when your faith was most important to you? JUSTIN JACKSON: That's every day. I mean, there's never been a day when it hasn't been important. He's the reason that I'm here in this position. He's the reason that I have the ability to play basketball. And so there's never been a day when He's been less or more important. He's always extremely important to me. Q. You played for three years under one of the greatest college coaches in history, Roy Williams. What is the greatest basketball lesson you've learned from him in those three years? JUSTIN JACKSON: Coach always is prepared for whatever might come, and so I think that's been the biggest thing for me is always trying to be prepared as much as you possibly can. So whether it's going into a game, being prepared for your opponent, being prepared for the guy that you might guard or who might be guarding you or whatever it might be, just trying to be prepared. And he was always great at doing it for basketball and life in general. And so translating that into my life, it's helped a lot. So for that, I can't thank him enough. Q. I just realized you and De'Aaron Fox really have your work cut out for you for another reason: The Golden State Warriors are only 90 miles west of where you play. It's going to be tough to win that fanbase back again. Have you thought of that when they called your name, that those Warriors aren't far away from you? JUSTIN JACKSON: I'll be honest with you, I didn't really think about the Warriors much at all. All I've been thinking about is the fact that one of my dreams has really come true and I'm going to an organization that I'm extremely happy to join, and I can't wait to get started with them. Q. Sacramento is pretty far away from where you're from. Do you plan on bringing some of your boys or family members out there to live with you? JUSTIN JACKSON: I'm going to bring my fiancée once we get married, so she'll be the one that will be out there with me, and we'll kind of start on this journey together. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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