The continued progression, maximization of Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Memphis Grizzlies are entering a big year when it comes to tapping into Jaren Jackson Jr.'s fullest capabilities. His progression and utilization could determine their 2023-24 ceiling.
Each season of Jaren Jackson Jr.’s career, Memphis Grizzlies media and fans have been left wanting more — to varying degrees.
Early flashes of a post game and 3-point shooting at his size and age left fans wanting more of rookie Trip next to veterans Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. In his sophomore season, he led the team in scoring and was on the verge of a breakout in the bubble before a prolonged knee injury — leaving the fans anticipating his return.
Since then, the fans have demanded for more touches for Jackson, and visions were materializing last season. After the All-Star break, he averaged 21.6 points per game on 14.8 shots per game — which would’ve been on pace for a career-best. The Grizzlies were leaning into his overall skillset both inside and outside, and they seemed to tapping into the type of deadly offensive weapon he could become.
This also doesn’t include his defensive impact. Winning Defensive Player of the Year last season, and notching 1st Team All-Defensive honors the past two years, Jackson is an otherworldly defender. He’s an imposing presence that can fly out of nowhere to erase shots, or smother ball-handlers in switch situations. His versatility allows for multiple coverages where he could either anchor the defense as its primary rim protector, or defend a perimeter player to serve as a rim roamer. He’s the ultimate chess piece.
At 24 years old, the best is yet to come for Jackson.
At the same time, fans have demanded more from Jackson from an individual standpoint. His fouling and rebounding are the primary points of emphasis for criticism. His fouling often are ill-advised and in bunches, which could impact his minutes any given night. He doesn’t boast ideal rebounding numbers from a 7-foot big man — Steven Adams provided rationale on Jackson’s rebounding at Media Day. These areas of improvement will be under a big microscope in Adams’ absence, a frontcourt mate that alleviated those concerns.
Going into the 2023-24 season, now is the time to fully tap into the maximization of Jaren Jackson Jr., as he continues to progressing as an elite big man.
After a putrid efficiency outing in 2021-22, Jackson leveled up a bit as a scorer:
effective field goal percentage: 47.8% → 56.9%
field goal percentage at the rim: 58% → 66%
Last season, Jackson showcased the ability to score into a variety ways in an incredibly efficient manner.
This bodes well for the diversification of his offensive role, as they can deploy Jackson in various scenarios for him to generate an advantage against the defense. Jackson knows how to exploit mismatches, and the Grizzlies sought those more often as the season went on.
His post scoring is probably the easiest mark to point too. Last season, he ranked 13th in the league in points per game out of the post (2.9) and was 7th in field goal percentage there (56.5%). Once he identifies a mismatch, he’s great at sealing his man to get in position for an entry pass. From there, his footwork has improved, and he doesn’t complicate his moves either. Often times, he uses two dribbles and a shoulder turn to get to his left hand for an easy bucket. In a league predicated on switching and going smaller, having a post weapon like Jackson is a change-up in a system predicted on perimeter movement and actions.
Jackson’s primary means of attacking mismatches comes with his off-the-dribble skillset. His ball-handling is advanced for a player of his size — making him a viable threat to either go out taller, slower players off the dribble, or size-up smaller players to get into post positions.
Jackson can also operate as the ball-handler in 2-man actions as both a driver and a shooter. In handoff’s, he could fire from downtown. Sometimes, he’s capitalizing as the trailer, when the guard flips it over to him for a transition 3. He can also work with bigs to create separation for 3, or he could turn a corner against a scrambled defense to get downhill.
Jackson is a unique big man that can be featured in the pick-and-roll as either the ball-handler or the screener. Same with a handoff, the big-to-big screen can cause the defense to discombobulate for a split second, enough for Jackson to find a scoring advantage.
More intriguingly, the Grizzlies ran some inverted pick-and-roll’s in the preseason, allowing for the possibility for Jackson to hit the screener fading for a clean look from the arc.
While Jackson was an efficient roller (1.19 PPP as the roll, per The B-Ball Index), he still needs to progress as a screener. Moments, he could cause an offensive foul due to a moving screen or barreling himself into defenders. He could quiet the foul narrative by becoming a better screener.
Successful pick-and-roll actions with him typically entail a brush/ghost screen or a rejected one — where the ball-handler goes the opposite direction. Even with the need to grow as a screener, he has a steady foundation as a big man that could roll to the basket or pop to the 3-point line. Nonetheless, that progression is more expedited in Adams’ absence.
As Jackson is growing as an offensive weapon, his unorthodox style is evident. He’s still finding his footing maneuvering to his spots — sometimes it pans out, others lead to a charge. Nonetheless, it’s been a revelation witnessing Jackson realize his offensive potency, especially with rising efficiency he showed last year.
There isn’t much to point out with the criticism of Jackson’s defense. He covers an insurmountable amount of space and encompasses the defensive responsibilities of the modern NBA big man. He’s simply a transcendent defender that solidifies the Grizzlies as an elite defense.
When putting his defense under a microscope, critics will be eyeing his rebounding and fouling. There’s no strings attached here. Jackson has to improve as a rebounder and has to foul less. There’s not the safety net of an elite rebounder like Steven Adams, or even a great per-minute one in Brandon Clarke. His contributions on the glass — alongside Xavier Tillman and Santi Aldama — will be paramount this season.
If he’s fouling in bunches, they can’t resort to “more Adams and Aldama” or “more Clarke and Aldama.” Their frontcourt depth is shot in the meantime. Foul trouble now is more detrimental in any given night.
They need Jaren Jackson Jr. on the floor as much as possible. Having him closer to the 30-35 minute range is a huge boost, as the Grizzlies were 8.8 points per 100 possessions better with Jackson on the court, per Cleaning the Glass. Minimizing his foul issues will go a long way in ensuring he stays in the game.
Over the past two years, Jaren Jackson Jr. has blossomed into an elite defensive big man, and is on the cusp of a potential breakout as an offensive weapon. He’s a versatile big man capable of attacking his opposition in a variety of different ways on both sides of the court — as an anchor, as a switcher, as a post-up weapon, or as a ball-handler.
After years of clamoring for more of Jaren Jackson Jr., and for the coaching staff to find a way to properly utilize his skillset, this season is the time it may come to fruition. It’s a two-way street, by the way. The coaching staff has to feed Jackson, while the All-Star has to sharpen his weaknesses to amplify his skillset.
It’s also absolutely critical for this progression and maximization to materialize. They’re down 2 frontcourt rotation players for all (or majority) of the season, and without their leading scorer for the 1st 25 games. Tapping into the full capabilities of his game could help the Grizzlies stay the course for the 2023-24.
It could also lead to Jaren Jackson Jr. cementing himself as an elite two-way big man.
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