The rising greatness of Jaren Jackson, Jr.

[Jamaaliver]

Dedicated to all things JJJ...

NBA Prospect Film Room: Jaren Jackson Jr. Keeps Getting Better



Jackson Jr. was drafted to be a cornerstone for the Memphis Grizzlies moving forward. However, after 4 games and 111 minutes of NBA play, Jackson Jr. has exceeded even many optimistic projections for what he would look like early in his rookie season. He is averaging 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks across 27.8 minutes per night, all while being the youngest player who has played in the NBA this season.

What is most notable about Jackson Jr.’s early performance, aside from the impressive counting stats, is his sudden proficiency in areas that were not clear strengths for him as a freshman at Michigan State. The best example of this has been his comfort as a face-up handler and attacker on offense.

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The first four clips in this video contain examples of Jackson handing the ball on drives in each of his games thus far. Even though the finishing results aren’t all the way there yet, his handling coordination and fearlessness in putting the ball on the floor is highly encouraging for projecting his future as a face-up scorer. The eurostep that he executes in the open floor in the third clip is particularly impressive, as few 6-foot-11 19 year-olds have the necessary coordination and balance to slow down after flying up the court then maintain composure while changing direction on the eurostep, and finally extend toward the basket to finish the play...the spacing he has found in the NBA has freed him as an off-the-bounce attacker and given him much more breathing room to put the ball on the floor.

The next area where Jackson Jr. has surprised offensively has been his refined self-creation out of the post. While he was an effective post scorer at Michigan State, scoring in the 98th percentile on post-ups, per Synergy, he mostly relied on a simple righty hook over his left shoulder. As the four clips above will show you, he has quickly developed a reliable spin move that has proven to be successful against NBA defenders. He flashed this move at times at Michigan State, but he was much more content to use his length to toss in hooks over college defenders whom he usually had a height advantage over. Now, he has a more advanced move to counter the size that he faces at the NBA level.

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The last area where Jackson Jr. has stood out to me on offense is as a passer. Although he has not shown much in terms of passing on the move, he has been useful in dribble hand-off sets for the Grizzlies and has displayed promising vision. Per 36 minutes, he is averaging 1.9 assists and 1.3 turnovers, and has shown excellent discipline as a decision-maker overall on offense.

The Stepien

[VCfor3]

Now if he could just get his fouling under control...

All in all he is a project as expected but has still looked quite good at times. I'm happy with our pick.

[bobobolas10]

So far, I am happy with this pick too. Nobody picked after him is making me think we were wrong drafting him.

His fouling is something he has to work on. For some reason, he is reaching many times but with his lenght he should wait for them above the rim. Something like Gasol, He raises his arms and with some body contact, make the opponent miss.

One more thing, for some reason, he stays in the paint so long, like under the basket boxing out the defender to get the ball for the hook. However, many times I believe he takes more than 3 seconds in there. I have counted sometimes like 7 seconds without a call.


I hope JB starts drawing some plays for him. Looks like most of his baskets are selfmade, with the clock running out, from offensive boards, one on one, ....

[BAMAFREAK]

If he can’t hit 3s in the NBA it’s a wasted top 5 pick.

[VCfor3]

If he can’t hit 3s in the NBA it’s a wasted top 5 pick.

I think some of that is that he hasn't been able to really get in a rhythm due to the constant foul trouble not letting him play for stretches. I get that he was okay against GS in regards to fouls and still missed, but I think he needs a few games with solid stretches of playing time to really get things going again. JJJ also had trouble finishing through guys later in the GS game after a pretty decent start. He is still figuring things out and seems like he is caught watching what all is going on and trying to think it through at times instead of just reacting to with what he needs to do (mainly on defense). I think it'll work out though he'll never be an elite 3pt shooter.

[BAMAFREAK]

If he can’t hit 3s in the NBA it’s a wasted top 5 pick.

I think some of that is that he hasn't been able to really get in a rhythm due to the constant foul trouble not letting him play for stretches. I get that he was okay against GS in regards to fouls and still missed, but I think he needs a few games with solid stretches of playing time to really get things going again. JJJ also had trouble finishing through guys later in the GS game after a pretty decent start. He is still figuring things out and seems like he is caught watching what all is going on and trying to think it through at times instead of just reacting to with what he needs to do (mainly on defense). I think it'll work out though he'll never be an elite 3pt shooter.

I completely agree. But that was a problem last year as well and what scared me talking him so early. With all his attributes and size, even being a young freshmen, he couldn’t stay on the floor in college. He didn’t take over games and wasn’t even on the floor in crunch time in the tourney. It’s why I was not happy about taking him.
He has actually exceeded my expectations to this point, even with the bad shooting. Seeing him hit 8 or so 3s and taking over that summer league game gave me hope. He’s a really coordinated and fluid guy for his size. He’s got a chance to be special but the 3 point shot was what set him apart, even though the form is whack

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

The rookie check-in: Jaren Jackson Jr. has his hiccups, but 19-year-old ‘just scratching the surface’ with skill set



“I think he’s still growing,” a laughing Marc Gasol tells The Athletic. “I’m serious, I think he’s grown half a shoe-size since he’s been here.”
“Still growing” is a good way to describe Jaren Jackson, Jr. On the court and at the shoe store, his progress is hard to miss.

In what was a banner set of top draft picks, Jackson’s tantalizing mix of offensive and defensive potential set him apart from everyone else.

like many of the top picks in last year’s NBA draft, Jackson is performing well.

Let’s see how he’s doing statistically after his first month:

Overall

Points per game: 11.5
Rebounds per game: 5.0
Field goal percentage: 45.1
Three-point percentage: 18.5
Offensive rating: 96.6
Defensive rating: 101.4
Net Rating: -4.8

Let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the room before we go any further: Jackson’s propensity to foul is a problem. It was one of his few red flags coming into the league and it has manifest itself on the court from time to time.

He turned up the intensity over the past week, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to record at least 15 points and 5 blocks in the game at Golden State. He followed that with a wrecking ball outing against Denver where he became the first Grizzlies rookie with at least 20 points, 3 blocks, and 3 steals since, coincidentally, Marc Gasol. Oh, and in the previously-mentioned Utah game, he became the first rookie this season with a double-double and 5 blocked shots.

Jackson said it simply: “Whenever you don’t foul, Coach is like, ‘Ooooh, yeah, he can play.’ so there you go, no fouls equals more minutes.”

“Now that he’s been able to stay on the floor, you can see the confidence growing,” Bickerstaff noted. “That game against Denver, the energy level he was playing with, there were signs of true belief that he could impact the game the way we think he can.”

Since becoming a starter, Jackson has the best defensive rating of any Grizzly. That side of the ball is coming along very quickly, especially given his partnership with Gasol. Since Jackson and Gasol have played together as starters, they are the best defensive pairing in the NBA, with opponents scoring just 89.8 points per 100 possessions when they’re on the court together.

The Athletic

[Jamaaliver]

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[the_process]

I think that when it's all said and done, JJJ will be the best player out of this draft class. MEM got a steal with him still on the board at 4.

[Jamaaliver]

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"At least one play every two or three games," Garrett Temple said, "it's like, what the hell?" Jaren Jackson Jr., who turned 19 a week before training camp and is the youngest player to appear in a regular-season game this year, routinely stuns his Memphis Grizzlies teammates. Against the Dallas Mavericks two weeks ago, the 6-foot-11 Jackson caught a pass in the left corner, with DeAndre Jordan closing out on him. He drove baseline, but Jordan cut him off, so he hit the big man with an in-and-out dribble and made a lefty layup on the other side of the rim.

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Temple was on the court, but heard guys saying "Oh!" on the Grizzlies bench. He also heard one Dallas player say, "Oh, ****!"

"It was hilarious," Temple told CBS Sports.

It took no time for Jackson to make an impression on the Grizzlies. In his first summer league game in Utah, he made eight 3s and scored 29 points. "That was the moment where it was like, this kid has a chance to be special,'" coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. Since then, Memphis has marveled at the breadth of his game and the fact that he doesn't need to be pushed or prodded. It would be understandable if a young player had trouble fitting in or finding himself on a veteran team with playoff aspirations, but Jackson said it has been "real easy" for him.

In the summer, Jackson and Kevin Garnett climbed the Calabasas Stairs and did a private workout for an NBA Digital-produced mini-documentary you can watch on Facebook. In it, Jackson compared himself to Kristaps Porzingis and Garnett compared him to Chris Bosh.

Two days after Jackson's explosion in Brooklyn, Bickerstaff made an even loftier comparison: Garnett himself.

[Jamaaliver]

NBA coach, scout evaluate top rookies

Jaren Jackson, Jr.



Numbers: 25.5 minutes, 13.9 points, 51.9 percent shooting, 34.5 percent 3-point shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks

Lowdown: The question about Jackson entering last year’s draft was his toughness, and as the Grizzlies scrambled to find the right fit for the No. 4 pick, Jackson was a gamble. He’s already earned a starting spot, however, and the trust of coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Scout’s/coach’s take: "There were games at Michigan State where he would disappear, and even before that, in AAU ball, there were questions about whether he had the toughness for the NBA. But he has so much raw ability and he is putting that to use, and he is not getting pushed around at all.

"Offensively, he is like the analytics dream, because everything he gets is either in the paint or at the 3-point line. He almost never shoots midrange jumpers. And he shouldn’t. He has a nice stroke from the 3-point line, he has a good hook shot he uses in the paint and he is so athletic. He is a great finisher at the rim.

"The defense, you kind of knew that was going to be there, and he makes his mistakes being too aggressive and getting into foul trouble. But that’s what rookies do. He is already a very, very good two-way player and has a chance to be great."

Outlook: Jackson has started all but two of the Grizzlies’ games, and he has been crucial to their impressive 14-9 record. Bickerstaff has been giving him more and more minutes as the season has gone on, and that should continue. He only turned 19 in September — he still has as high a ceiling as anyone in the rookie class.

Sporting News

[Jamaaliver]

Do Memphis fans still see JJJ on a trajectory for greatness?
Is the biggest obstacle his inconsistency...or frequent injuries?

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[psman2]

Do Memphis fans still see JJJ on a trajectory for greatness?
Is the biggest obstacle his inconsistency...or frequent injuries?

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I think most fans have high hopes still for JJJ. However at this point you have to be pragmatic with handling out huge early extensions. I think 4/100 would be the highest I would be willing to go, love a 4/90. Any more and I think we just let the season play out, really not much upside to maxing him early.

[VCfor3]

Do Memphis fans still see JJJ on a trajectory for greatness?
Is the biggest obstacle his inconsistency...or frequent injuries?

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I think most fans have high hopes still for JJJ. However at this point you have to be pragmatic with handling out huge early extensions. I think 4/100 would be the highest I would be willing to go, love a 4/90. Any more and I think we just let the season play out, really not much upside to maxing him early.

Very much agree. And waiting till next offseason makes the most sense cap-wise too since we either resign him for less than his hold or if he blows up this year we keep his hold, sign whoever, and then max him.

I think he still can be very good. He was supposed to be raw coming into the league but flashed some stuff early and people rode the hype. Injuries have robbed him of crucial development time, but he is still young and can put it together. I don't know what he will actually end up as as a player, but he has a ton of potential on both ends of the court that he has flashed but never been consistent with. Think this will be a big year for him (and Ja) so can't wait to see how it goes. If those two take a leap in the near future we have are a potential contender down the road. If they do not then we will likely top out as a Portland aka good team that can maybe win a round in the playoffs more often than not but not a true title contender baring a ton of luck.

[VCfor3]

MPJ's new contract probably helps JJJ in negotiations. I doubt we get an extension until next offseason, but I think the deal John Collins got is the floor of what the extension will look like short of JJJ have a truly terrible season. If he plays well he very well may get the max.