GG Jackson II Makes All-Rookie Second Team After Draft-Night Slide

The youngest player in the NBA, GG Jackson averaged 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 48 games this season.

Apr 12, 2024; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward GG Jackson (45) reacts after a dunk during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA announced its all-rookie teams yesterday, which compromised mostly of the right selections. Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller, Brandon Podziemski, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. made the first team, while Cason Wallace, Amen Thompson, Dereck Lively II, Keyonte George, and GG Jackson II rounded out the second team.

Among those selections, Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jackson II was especially impressive, and maybe the most unexpected. Although he was the No. 45 overall pick in the 2023 draft and the youngest player in the NBA, the 6-foot-9 wing finished fourth in points per game among rookies. The fact that he also started in just 18 of his 48 games played makes that number even more impressive.

While some may point towards his high 24.2% usage percentage thanks to an injury-riddled Grizzlies season, the fact that he maintained solid efficiency while creating at such a volume only makes his scoring more impressive. Jackson shot at a 55.4% true-shooting percentage, which was 2.6% below league-average but rather good for a rookie wing who self-created a good amount of his attempts (30.3% of his field-goal makes were unassisted).

But, while Jackson showed a lot of flashes creating off the dribble — and that’s definitely where his star upside lies — he was still pretty inefficient there in his rookie year. Where he really added instant impact was in his off-ball game. He shot 36.6% on catch-and-shoot threes, including 39.2% on unguarded attempts, which was good enough to garner soft closeouts from defenders. And once he did, he could weaponize his elite movement and dribbling skills and attack off-the-dribble.

He was also excellent as the screener in pick-and-rolls, where he was a threat to either pop or roll. He scored 1.42 points per possession on 27 possessions, which landed him in 89th percentile.

This off-ball ability is what scouts failed to project with the former Gamecock. He had a heavy offensive load at South Carolina, and was forced to create a majority of their offense off-the-dribble. While this led to a lot of intriguing self-creation flashes, it also led to a lot of poor moments and inefficiency and scouts deemed him a boom-or-bust creation prospect. That label is precisely why he fell to the second round.

But in his high school career, Jackson had a history of good shooting backed up by good touch that, when combined with his excellent movement skills for his size, meant he could be very effective as an off-ball player. He didn’t get to prove that at South Carolina, but in the right situation, he’s been able to display it with the Grizzlies.

And this off-ball ability pairs excellently with the return of Ja Morant next year. He and Desmond Bane are the Grizzlies’ primary and secondary creators, and Jackson will have even more open looks to capitalize on playing in a full season next to them.

Maybe the stat that best summarizes just how impressive Jackson was during his rookie campaign: he’s the only teenage rookie to make an all-rookie team as a non-first rounder in league history.

In other words, GG Jackson is the first teenage rookie to win All-Rookie honors as a non-first rounder in #NBA history. https://t.co/gQnltOLXiJ

— Shawn Coleman (@StatsSAC) May 20, 2024

Jackson went to Instagram to celebrate his honors on a live stream. "They let me get drafted at pick 45, I sat on the couch with my whole family crying, people laughed in the comments. It's not about where you start, but where you end!,” the 19-year-old said.

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