The Memphis Grizzlies have gotten off to a good start this season, but one of their young stars hasn’t quite lived up to his expectations yet. Jaren Jackson Jr. is entering his 4th season in the NBA and is only 22 years old, but the potential is there for him to be a star in this league. He’s very skilled on both ends of the floor, however, he hasn’t produced at that level in the early portion of the season.
His offensive game has been underwhelming as he isn’t shooting the ball as well as he usually does, which seems to have a ripple effect on his confidence in other areas. His role in the offense is still a work in progress, and with how good Ja Morant and Desmond Bane have been, he is still trying to figure out what’s best for him.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the most skilled big men in the NBA. He is a terrific three-point shooter and is also one of the only seven-footers in the league who can attack the basket off the dribble. We’ve seen sparks of greatness from him so far, but on most nights, his field goal percentages have been very underwhelming.
Many players can impact the game without scoring, and he certainly is one of them, but the Grizzlies need his offensive production to reach their full potential. Ja Morant is a young superstar in this league, but he also needs his running mate to take that next step. There’s still no reason to panic, though, as it’s very early in the season, and Jackson is still trying to get back into rhythm after missing most of last season with an injury.
Through the first nine games of the season, Jaren Jackson Jr. averaged 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on 34% from the field, including 33% from the three-point range. The scoring and the efficiency in doing so is not where the team would like it to be at this time. The main issue is his 35% from inside the three-point arc, which is almost 20% lower than his career average.
The percentages may be down because Memphis is running a different type of offense than they have in years past. The transition from the Grit N’ Grind Grizzlies has been going on in recent years, but during that time frame, they had Jonas Valanciunas. He was a dominant low post scorer, so it was easier for Jackson to find his role. Now with Steven Adams inside, the style of play is different. It’s benefited the guards on this team in a big way, but Jaren is still trying to figure out how he can best perform.
The most important thing for this team is finding ways to win games and as long as that’s happening other issues won’t be critiqued as much as they could be. After making the playoffs a season ago the Grizzlies are trying to get back there again and this time they don’t want to just be an also ran. This team isn’t a title contender yet, but they feel they have the pieces to win games in the playoffs. It will be a long season, and Jaren Jackson Jr’s impact will be a key part of reaching their goal.
It hasn’t been all bad for Jackson as he looked outstanding on both ends of the floor in a win over the Denver Nuggets at home on November 3rd. His defense on Nikola Jokic was impressive, which included a good contest on a shot attempt in the closing seconds to try and tie the game to force overtime. People worry so much about the numbers, and while his percentages are lower than expected, there’s no reason to panic or suggest drastic changes need to be made. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a young star in this league; people need to be patient and trust in his development process.
-Chris Kern
Twitter: @chriskern11