The 1992 graduate of Salisbury High School is playing professional basketball — he’s just not playing a lot.

Which is a curious thing to the third-year NBA veteran. Two short years after being named to the All-Rookie team, he languishes on the bench for the downtrodden Minnesota Timberwolves, losers of seven straight after a 103-98 loss to the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night.

And how much say did Jackson have in the outcome? Two minutes and 45 seconds worth.

It’s a pattern Jackson doesn’t like. He has just 29 minutes of playing time over the last five games. It miffs him even more when thinking to the four games previous to his move to the far end of the bench, when he was on the court an average of 19 minutes, scoring at a 9.8 clip.

“It’s frustrating,” Jackson said in the Timberwolves locker room. “I know I should be out there.”

If there had ever been a time that Jackson wanted to hit the floor and play well, it was Wednesday night at the Charlotte Coliseum.

This was where he sat in the stands three years ago when his name was called out as a first-round draft pick out of the University of Minnesota. This is where 50 of his closest family members and friends sat impatiently waiting for those knee-high socks to hit the floor.

Jackson simply sat.

Minnesota coach Flip Saunders has decided to move Will Avery, a rookie out of Duke, ahead of Jackson. Now, when Terrell Brandon comes out for a rest, Avery replaces him.

“We feel Avery will be a good player in this league,” Saunders said. “He’ has made great improvements.”

When asked if he had lost confidence in Jackson, Saunders said, “We still like Bobby. He plays well with the veteran players but we’ve got a lot of injuries right now. Avery has played extremely well and he gives us something a little different. So when the veteran come back, Bobby will be a very effective player for us.”

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Common sense tells Jackson this is not the time to be sitting. He is in the third and final year of his rookie contract.

So far, there has been no headway between he and the team.

“We haven’t talked about it,” said Saunders, who doubles as coach and general manager.

“No, we haven’t talked,” Jackson said. “I’m a free agent after this year. I’d love to come back to Minnesota and I think the possibility is strong. It just depends on a lot of things.

“If it’s not meant to be, then that’s just the league. That’s the NBA. I know I’ll be playing somewhere because of the type of competitor I am.”

Jackson isn’t showing the usual pouting signs of so many NBA millionaires who don’t get off the bench. Each time Avery came to the sidelines after one of several very short stints against the Hornets (Avery played just nine minutes) , Jackson was there talking to the former Blue Devil.

“I try to help him out so he won’t make the same mistakes I made when I was a rookie,” chuckled Jackson. “What it’s all about is getting teammates better. No one wants to lose. When he’s in there, I’m pulling for him and I hope when I’m in there, he’s pulling for me.”

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Timberwolf fans would love to keep Jackson — who led the University of Minnesota to the Final Four in 1997 — on its roster forever, according to Patrick Reussems, a sports columnist for the Star-Tribune in Minneapolis. And that’s despite an academic scandal that cost coach Clem Haskins his job.

“The scandal took some of the luster off,” Ruessems said. “Bobby’s academic work has been mentioned prominently. But he’s still one of the greatest players in University of Minnesota history and they still love him.”

But will they be loving him from afar next year?

“I think it all depends on Avery,” said Reussems, a regular Timberwolf watcher, “and it depends on what kind of contract Bobby demands. I don’t know if they want three point guards at these prices.”

Jackson feels he could prove himself with a few more minutes but because of the injuries Saunders mentioned, it isn’t happening.

“The lineup is crazy every night,” he said. “You’ve just got to stick it out and work hard.”

Minnesota assistant coach Sidney Lowe understands Jackson’s dilemma.

“As a player, I don’t care who you are, you don’t play enough,” said Lowe, who, like Jackson, is still revered at his alma mater, North Carolina State. “Whether a guy has three at his position or one, he’s going to complain.”

Lowe agreed with Saunders by saying Jackson’s lack of minutes is just a little midseason crisis, nothing to start rumors over.

“We haven’t lost confidence in Bobby,” Lowe said. “We know what he can do. It’s a long season.”

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For Jackson, who is the smallest player on the Timberwolves, it’s just another hurdle. “I’ve been through this before,” he shrugged. “It’s nothing new.”

That’s why you’ve gotta love the kid from Salisbury, according to Lowe.

“Bobby Jackson is a super, super person,” Lowe smiled. “He knows he’s my favorite guy. I admire the way he works and for the person he is. The important thing is for him to be ready when the time comes.”

Jackson will be ready — whether it’s time to play or time to move on.

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