G.G. Jackson Emerges As A Bright Spot For Injury-Riddled Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies’ rookie made a statement on Saturday night.

The Grizzlies are one of the toughest teams to contextualize in today’s NBA. They’re led by Ja Morant, a bonafide superstar. Still just 24 years old, the explosive point guard has already achieved All-NBA honors. His flashy style of play full of poster dunks and dazzling dimes has elevated him to become one of the faces of the league. They flank Morant with Jaren Jackson Jr., Marcus Smart, and Desmond Bane. 

Now still just 24 years old, Jackson Jr. won last year’s Defensive Player Of The Year award with his stalwart rim protection. Smart won the prior DPOY trophy with his first-line dominance for the Boston Celtics. Bane has developed into one of the league’s best shooters and is averaging 24.4 points per game this season.

With their homegrown star trio, they won a playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves two seasons ago. They then pushed the eventual-champion Warriors to a tough six-game series. At that time, their imminent future seemed incredibly bright. It seemed even brighter after they acquired Smart via trade this off-season. 

However, they haven’t found their desired success yet. Memphis sits well outside the postseason picture with the sixth-worst record in the NBA. They currently sit five-and-a half games back of a play-in tournament position. Despite rostering four stars, they haven’t been able to rack up wins due to missed games. Morant was suspended for the first 20 games of this season and is now sidelined for the rest of it with a shoulder injury. Additionally, Smart is sidelined for six weeks with a finger injury while Jackson Jr. and Bane battle their own injuries.

However, amid all the adversity, rookie G.G. Jackson has emerged as a bright spot for the Grizzlies. Formerly, the top-ranked recruit in his class, Jackson fell all the way to pick No. 45 in last year’s draft largely due to inefficiency in his creation role. But in just his seventh appearance, the 19-year-old forward drilled catch-and-shoot looks and got to the rim for some impressive finishes. He finished shooting 9-for-14 from the field with two makes and two misses coming from beyond the arc to finish with 20 points and six rebounds.

GG Jackson with 20 pts today in his first legit NBA minutes. Was 9th on my 2023 board, but went at #45. I think the complimentary value of his skill + athleticism + fluidity + 6’9” frame is/was underrated. He’s got high upside; youngest guy in the league. pic.twitter.com/7OCOr4tLwy

— Arya Chawla (@achawlz) January 14, 2024

While he was inefficient running the show at South Carolina last year, many overlooked how his combination of fluid movement ability, sharp scoring skulls, athleticism and 6-foot-9 frame would translate to a scaled-down NBA role.

Jackson just turned 19 years old last month; he’s the youngest player in the NBA. As the Grizzlies continue to build a championship contender, Jackson’s upside could add tremendous value.

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