Grizzlies young core one of the league's best?

[Jamaaliver]

The Young Core Rankings

The future is now for franchises across the NBA map. Which one has put together the best group of players under the age of 25? We rank every team’s collection of young’uns



3. Memphis Grizzlies

WAR: 68.1 | Best Under-25 Players: Jaren Jackson Jr. (21.4), Ja Morant (18.2), Tyus Jones (13.5)

Besides Doncic, Jackson boasts the best five-year projection of any rising second-year player—better than Ayton, better than Young, better than Bagley and Carter and Bamba combined. It’s not difficult to see why: Jackson displayed NBA range and tremendous defensive ability as the second-youngest player in the league last season, so even a worst-case scenario still pegs him as a valuable, switchable starter for the modern game.

Jackson and no. 2 overall pick Morant form the dream inside-out combination to start a team, and the summer league champion Grizzlies—who won without either Jackson or Morant—should spend the season as League Pass darlings for NBA fans eager to see the future now. Memphis was the NBA’s fourth-oldest team last season, but 30-somethings Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Garrett Temple—the team’s three leaders in minutes played—are all gone now, leaving plenty of available playing time for the Grizzly cubs.

The Ringer

[VCfor3]

Clarke is worth mentioning too though he won't be a star. He just seems like a good glue guy/role player type. I hope fans realize how few games we are likely to win next season, but we will be fun and interesting moving forward which is a great feeling.

[Jamaaliver]

Are We Sure … the Grizzlies Didn’t Have the Best Offseason?

Memphis didn’t land Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard this summer, but it did manage to save the future of the franchise



The Grizzlies again missed out of the transformative prospect at the top of the draft board, but unlike in 2003, they landed the no. 2 pick and kept it, procuring the rights to a potential franchise player in the process. Ja Morant probably won’t win an MVP, and given his struggles shooting the 3-ball in college, he might be a bit too Westbrookian for his own good. But the Murray State point guard instantly gives the Grizzlies something it takes some teams years to figure out: an identity. Memphis now has one of the most dynamic cornerstone duos in the league in Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., last year’s no. 4 overall pick. The team that lived in the mud will be flying up and down the court for the foreseeable future. The Grizzlies nabbed Gonzaga’s Brandon Clarke in the draft. The Ringer favorite went on to win MVP and lead the Grizz to a title at the Las Vegas summer league and looks like the perfect inside complement for Jackson’s stretchy, switchy game.

...squint and you’ll see the outline of something significant. Jackson, Clarke, and Jonas Valanciunas form a strong young frontcourt rotation, while Morant, Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen, and De’Anthony Melton could do the same in the backcourt. The Grizzlies’ offseason haul isn’t in the same universe as the Clippers’ or Nets’, or even the Celtics’ or Pacers’. But it does make them relevant. Considering where they were heading into May’s draft lottery, that might be an even more impressive accomplishment.

The Ringer

[JJJgoat]

With a potentially better player than Kevin Garnett, yes they are easily one of the best.

[Jamaaliver]

^While I'm not prepared to state Jaren is better (or will be better) than young KG, this core is a really exciting one.

JJJ and B Clarke seem likely to become the most dominant defensive frontcourt in the Association.

Ja Morant as the offensive fulcrum has real possibilities. Just need some 3 & D vets at SG and SF to complement this core group.

[Whole Truth]

"The Murray State point guard instantly gives the Grizzlies something it takes some teams years to figure out: an identity. Memphis now has one of the most dynamic cornerstone duos in the league in Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., last year’s no. 4 overall pick. The team that lived in the mud will be flying up and down the court for the foreseeable future".

Memphis are building their foundation on defense with an offensive vesatility to play either in the half court or in transition/pace. It's for this reason I think Josh Jackson's place, potential for this team, is being overlooked.

Jacksons biggest on court issue for the Suns, was, is, his ability to space the floor.

If you look at his situation with the Suns. They had an overcrowded wing rotation, they lacked a quality PG & or an effective playmaker with their best player, Booker, being a high usage, scoring guard. Then they drafted a post big who will occupy the paint in a half court setting. Requiring Josh to be more effective off ball, playing to his weakness requiring him to effecitvely spacing the floor, which is why he was replaced by the better shooting defender, Bridges.

Where is Jackson potentially effectice? - he's a plus defender & a much better offensive player, in transition ...

Enter his potential situation with Memphis playing along side a playmaking PG in Morant who will not only control pace but effectively run an offense & involve him where Booker is an effective player but doesn't really make his teammates better. When playing with 3J at C in small ball situations, Josh will also be able to attack an area once occupied/clogged by Ayton, Jonas in certain situations.

3J/Clarke/(Bruno or Brooks)/Josh/Ja I expect will be able to turn defense into offense.

Hopefully Memphis rectifies the crowded situation on the wing with a consolidation trade. (Iggy, Anderson, Hill) for (Paul & pick compensation) buyout Plumlee or cut Rabb for Noah.

[VCfor3]

Josh Jackson is to start the year with the Hustle but remain on the Grizzlies roster.

I feel like the core is Ja and JJJ with Clarke and D Brooks potentially being key contributors in the future. Melton, Josh Jackson, Bruno, Allen, and Rabb (if he survives training camp) are flyers who may pan out but until proven otherwise are little more than lottery tickets who may not be on the team in a season or two.

[Jamaaliver]

Both rookies looking good thus far:

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[Jamaaliver]

I really like this young man:

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[Jamaaliver]

The NBA’s Most Impressive Rookies So Far

This year’s rookie class is wasting no time making an impact. From lottery picks living up to the hype to the sleepers making you remember their names, here are 11 first-year players turning heads.

Brandon Clarke, Grizzlies

The no. 21 pick out of Gonzaga has been an analytics darling in the early going. Clarke leads all 30 rookies (who have played at least 165 minutes) in true shooting percentage, effective field goal percentage, defensive rebounding percentage, win shares, player efficiency rating, value over replacement player, and player impact estimate.

The counting stats ain’t half bad, either: 12.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks in just 22.3 minutes per game.

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The defensive versatility that made Clarke the West Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year last season has started to translate, sometimes subtly and at others much more obviously. What’s been most impressive, though, is how quickly he’s become an offensive contributor in Memphis. He’s made an instant impact as a dive man and a vertical spacer, shooting 20-for-24 after setting a pick and rolling to the basket (only four players have produced more points per possession on such possessions, according to Synergy Sports). He’s shown great touch on his floater, splashing 27 of 35 attempts that have come in the paint but outside the restricted area, according to NBA.com. And while the bulk of his opportunities have come in the lane, Clarke’s also flashed a strong shooting stroke, hitting 17 of his first 20 free throws and nine of his first 19 3-point tries.

Clarke has played only 38 minutes alongside both Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. so far, but if the shooting continues to look real, expect that figure to go up as the season progresses. I’m with my colleague Kevin O’Connor: I think Clarke’s for real, and that means he should get plenty of opportunities to grow alongside the other cornerstone pieces of the youth-movement rebuild in Memphis.

The Ringer

[VCfor3]

I really want a Clarke jersey ha. He just does all the small things while knowing his role.

[SD2042]

I really want a Clarke jersey ha. He just does all the small things while knowing his role.

Here you go.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

This kid is quickly becoming one of my favorite players:

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[VCfor3]

Dunc'd on Podcast did a show going over who they felt was leading for each award so far. For ROY they had Ja firmly in 1st and Nunn in 2nd with a large gap after that, but Clarke was given the nod as being 3rd which is impressive though a few other players were in the mix too.

[Jamaaliver]

Jaren Jackson Jr. is younger than rookie sensation Ja Morant, and is equally important to Grizzlies' future



Jackson might not get as many headlines as Morant, but he deserves just as much of your attention

Despite being a quarter of the way into his second NBA season, 6-foot-11 Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. is actually just over a month younger than Ja Morant. And while Morant gets most of the headlines, Jackson's development from year one to year two is setting a trajectory toward becoming an All-Star, maybe more, once he fully achieves his potential.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Jackson has improved his scoring by nearly three points per game in almost identical minutes, and he's making a higher percentage of his 3-pointers (37 percent, compared to 36 last season) while drastically increasing the volume from 2.4 attempts per game last season to 5.7 so far in 2019-20. He's already scored 20 or more points in nine games this season, after accomplishing the feat 11 times in 58 games as a rookie.

On the defensive end, he's used his 7-foot-4 wingspan to be an agitating disruptor, blocking over a shot a game while altering countless shots both at the rim and on the perimeter.

"I just think my patience is a little bit better and my short-term memory is getting better in terms of not letting plays linger -- little things like that, I just think that's improved a lot," Jackson told CBS Sports after the Grizzlies' 110-102 victory over the Warriors at Chase Center. "And my aggressiveness, just being able to continue to stay aggressive through the whole game."

While Jackson's talent is obvious, early in his career there are two main areas of concern: A lack of rebounding, and an inability to stay on the court due to foul trouble. Jackson is averaging almost as many fouls (a league-leading 4.2 per game) as rebounds (4.8) -- not a good ratio for a big man you hope will anchor your defense for years to come. Jenkins views rebounding numbers as a metric that can guide Jackson's development, and has talked to him about getting boards "outside of his area." The fouling issue dates back to last season, when then-coach JB Bickerstaff talked about working with Jackson on showing his hands to the referees to avoid fouls. This season, it's been more of the same.

"It's just watching tape, being honest with him about -- sometimes it's bad luck, you know, it's a product of some other situation that caused that. There's some that he can get better at," Grizzlies Head Coach Taylor Jenkins said of Jackson's consistent foul trouble. "I actually think he's trying to be a little bit more active, and showing his hands. He got a couple tough breaks, but showing film, it's daily vitamin work where he's doing breakdowns to continue to have that defensive identity and mentality where he's being solid and urgent early so he doesn't get any cheap ones."

Jackson has fouled out of five games already this season, and has picked up four or more fouls in 10 others. In addition to frustrating himself and his teammates, the foul trouble keeps him off the court. He's only playing 27 minutes per game this season, which is likely affecting both his development and the Grizzlies' chances to win games.

With both Jackson and Morant, it's easy to want more. We see another 20-year-old, Luka Doncic, averaging a 30-point triple-double and it makes you wish other young players' growth was equally as accelerated. That's simply not the case for most players of this age, however, and Grizzlies fans appear willing to be patient as the team rebuilds around its two young prospects.

CBS Sports

[Jamaaliver]

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[VCfor3]

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If he can boost the volume of 3's while kinda keeping up his efficiency, watch out

[Jamaaliver]

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[Whole Truth]

Luka's rookie season - 18.4 FGA's, 8 of the 18 from 3. He shot 42% from the field & 32% from 3 for 21.2 pts. (.497 eFG%)

Young" rookie season - 18.1 FGA's, 7 of the 18 from 3. He shot 41% from the field & 32% from 3 for 19.1 pts. (.480 eFG%)

Morant's - 16,8 FGA's, 2.9 of the 16 from 3. He is shooting 48% from the field & 40^ from 3 for 17.8 pts, (.511 eFG$)

Anyone see the pattern?.

Luka (10) 2 pointers per game, (8) 3's - 21.2 pts (42% FG%)
Young (11.1) 2 pointers per game, (7) 3's - 19.1pts (41% FG%)
Morant (14) 2 pointers per game, (2.9) 3's - 17.8 pts (48% FG%)

Despite both Luka & Trae shooting lower percentages across the board on roughly a similar amount of attempts, their scoring production is more efficient. I could understand if Morant was shooting poorly from 3 but....

Luka 8 APG, 32% from 3
Young 7 APG, 32% from 3
Morint 2.9 APG, 40% from 3

That 2.9 is up from his 1 APG earlier in the year. With his slight frame you'd think he'd be taking more 3's a game instead of forcing his way into the paint. I don't want him to stop being aggressive but think he needs to increase his 3pt takes. Drop a few percentage pts from range for increased productivity considering he's currently shooting 8% better than both.