How Kyle Jackson Can Be Used More Heavily
By Daniel May | Aug 6, 2023
After being a healthy scratch in the July 9th loss, Kyle Jackson has come back better than ever.
In his first three games of the season, Jackson had three points (1 goal and 2 assists), shot 1-for-13 (8%), with five turnovers.
In his past two games since being back, he’s shot 5-for-11 (45%) with only two turnovers.
The offense as a whole has looked the best it has all season. Scoring 15 and 16 goals - a new season high - in the past two contests.
With four of his five goals the past two games coming off of his own dodges, Jackson adds another threatening dodger at the midfield for Chaos.
His role as a secondary dodger is extremely useful given the plethora of ball-heavy players around him. Brian Minicus, Dhane Smith, and Josh Byrne all attract plenty of attention and touches. Jackson finds chances to score out of the opportunities opened up from the initial movement of those three.
He can get to threatening spots on the field against a SSDM. And with Dhane running out of the box as a midfielder, Jackson will get that matchup every time.
Lefty Wing Dodging
Jackson has developed a strong two-man game with Byrne, showcasing his prowess dodging on the lefty wing.
On his first goal of the game against Atlas, Jackson was able to run around the slip-pick by Byrne to get a step on his defender. By starting his dodge on the edge of the two-point arc, he's able to get to a high quality shooting spot only a few steps off the pick.
In a league where defenders can make up ground quickly when sliding, getting shots off in a short amount of time is all the more important.
Jackson has a quick first step that he uses to get around his defenders. On a missed shot later on against the Atlas, Jackson does just that.
Combined with using Josh Byrne as a pick, the on-ball SSDM has another obstacle to get around. This affords Jackson some space to free his hands for the shot.
He ran out of angle on this chance, but if he can get underneath like how Byrne has shown the ability to, more chances will open up for Jackson.
Jackson was able to underneath his defender for the finish to bring the Chaos within one goal in the fourth against the Whipsnakes.
With more space to attack the matchup and the Whipsnakes electing to not slide, Jackson has all the time in the world to create this shot.
His patience is what gets him this goal, working his matchup until he finally gets the step he needs to attack the cage. His head is up the whole time surveying for a slide or an open man inside. While his teammates are occupying the defenders in the middle through various cuts and picks.
He might not be the most threatening dodger on this offense, but Jackson’s patience on the dodge and quick first step make him a more difficult cover than expected.
X Dodging
To many people’s surprise, he’s also found success in their invert offense. Scoring twice the past two weeks when splitting to his right hand and turning the corner.
A righty goal from Kyle Jackson? Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Jackson uses the defender’s willingness to give him a step to his right. He uses this tactic to get his hands free for a shot on the doorstep.
He uses his speed to get the defender on his back and free his hands for the crafty reach around the defender’s hip. A simple shuffle to get outside the hips of his defender, which leads to the defender having to reach when making contact. With the reach comes less power to push Jackson off his line.
Not the typical up the hash shot we’ve seen from players like Minicus. Jackson gets just enough room to open his hands and then use the defender as a screen.
