Officially qualified for the playoffs since their last victory, against Indiana, the Grizzlies are certainly better known through their neo All Star, Ja Morant, for the general public. But if Memphis manages to confirm its good season last year, it is largely because its hard core of young players continues its apprenticeship and its express progress.
Among them, conspicuously absent from last season, Years Jackson Jr. is a central element. The very versatile interior of the Grizzlies has returned to its best level in the career with approximately 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks on average. More complete and more effective, Jackson is quite simply one of the best defenders in the League. He is even the best blocker in the NBA with 2.3 blocks per game, just ahead of Robert Williams and our national Rudy Gobert.
“We give ourselves so much that it’s impossible not to feel us”
Son of Jaren Jackson, a former Spurs shooter, NBA champion in 1999, JJJ is back in great shape after his almost white season last year. Forgotten tendonitis and knee problems, the young interior of Tennessee only wants to talk about the future.
In this case, the Grizzlies easily overcome the absence of Morant, whether at the end of the year when he had to miss no less than twelve games during the month of December, or this last week. Expected at the turn, Memphis not only responded well in adversity, but they outright exceeded expectations.
“I didn’t play much last season and I was still trying to find my bearings [en début de saison] », he explains in the Lowe Post. “Similarly, Steve [Adams] is a newcomer to the group. We tried to find our functioning, we saw what could work. We have more self-confidence because we did the necessary work during the summer. We have no doubt about our talent. We continue to play and when Ja is injured, we lose 32 points! A stinging defeat but honestly, at that time, I was already thinking about what was to come. I was thinking about Ja and what injury he had. During the game, I couldn’t think of anything else, I didn’t even want to play anymore. And then, after the match, when we knew he didn’t need an operation, things were already better because he wasn’t going to miss the rest of the year. So Ja can stay with us in the team. Even on the bench in civilian clothes, his presence is super important for the group, because he is our brother. And then, we went on a series of victories without really realizing it, winning 9 games out of 10. We were super happy to be able to withstand the shock, and even better, without him. That way, he doesn’t have to rush to come back. But it shows that if you do what you’re supposed to do to progress, everything will be fine. »
Uniting without their star player, the Grizzlies were able to count on four different players to lead their attack, including Jackson on the front line. The interior has thus placed 6 games (out of twelve therefore) at 20 points or more in the absence of Morant, thus allowing Memphis to do better than weather the storm.
With 9 wins in 10 games, the Grizzlies therefore came out of their lethargic start to the season in fury, demonstrating their strength of character in passing. As against the Lakers, when Desmond Bane and his comrades did not deign to brush King James in the direction of the hair.
“The only real reason it became a standout moment [de la saison], that’s because it’s LeBron. We all admired him growing up. It’s the Jordan of our generation. I can’t explain why, we don’t even talk about it among ourselves. But we know how we feel though, because we work so hard. We give ourselves so much that it’s impossible not to feel us. There is never anything personal. And Bron clearly won’t make it personal. In the end, he’s been doing this for hundreds of years. There’s no reason for LeBron to take a regular season game seriously and take it personally. It’s just what we do, we talk and we answer each other. He loved it and we loved it. If they want to make it a personal story, they will do it on their own. They will howl in the wind wholesale. Because we don’t even listen to you anymore at this point. When they make it personal and start talking, we’ve already moved on. You are annoying me. We don’t even talk to you anymore, we talk to ourselves to motivate ourselves. »
“It’s not about the counter in itself but about making it difficult to shoot”
With no disrespect to their elders, the Grizz simply want to be recognized as one of the teams to be feared on the circuit. And one of the most spectacular not to spoil anything: « [Ja] has rockets in the calves”, laughs like this Triple J. “It was the best counter I’ve seen in my career. But it was at the start of the match and I had to stay focused for the rest…”
Absent from the playoffs for three years, after the end of the Grit & Grind, Memphis found them last season, through the new detour of “play in”. But as quick as it was, this “postseason” return paid off for Taylor Jenkins’ young cast.
“Sometimes the most important thing is not to block the shot but to make it difficult for the opponent”, continues Jackson. “You were wondering if I could be the anchor of my team in defense. I think I had my first test against Rudy [Gobert] in the playoffs last season, and we lost that series. But I learned a lot. I had all summer to prepare well. It’s not about the counter in itself but about making the shot difficult. We are all pro players. It is better to want to hinder the shot than to want to counter it because it is by hindering it that you will manage to counter it. »
A more than legitimate candidate for the trophy of best defender of the year, with his ability to counter as well as to hold duels with faster outsiders, Jackson brings obvious added value with his lasting presence this season.
“I always give my maximum during the match. That way I don’t have to think about it after the game. Even if you are at 0/80 on shots and you have a match in two days, you have to go there with the mentality of the player who has just scored 80 points! That’s how I play because, in the end, you always have to move forward. Whether I’m in a good rhythm or not, I’m going to keep shooting. And if I miss, maybe the defense will give me a little more space and I can find my shot [rires]. I will always give everything I have to help the team win. I’ve improved in so many areas of my game, and I’m going to continue to improve in the coming summer, and the summer after. »
“Our goal was to do better, solidify our status in the League and gain home advantage”
Second in the Western Conference at the time of these lines, an unimaginable observation at the time of Morant’s injury when the Grizzlies were floundering at 9 wins for 11 losses, Memphis is the typical example of a franchise that has rebuilt itself, little by little, thanks to his good choices in the Draft. In addition to Morant and Jackson who were high selections, Memphis hit the mark with Desmond Bane, but also Dillon Brooks and Brandon Clarke. A construction by the Draft which obviously recalls the Warriors.
On track to be one of the top seeds in the West, Memphis can aim for a second round, or even a conference final, for what would be Year II of this new era embodied by the duo Morant – Jackson.
“We are super excited to qualify for the playoffs. Last year, we had to go through the play in and this season, we said to ourselves that we wanted to avoid it at all costs. Our goal was to do better, solidify our status in the League and gain home field advantage. We talk about it all the time. We had a meeting today to talk about all this and focus on what we have to do [d’ici aux playoffs]. We want to push and reach our best level. We are impatient: we are a young team qualified in the playoffs. The playoffs are when you make a name for yourself. Everyone is playing for the title, and that’s all that matters. »
Fed up with very high level basketball, Jaren Jackson Jr. has so far only had a brief glimpse of this unparalleled intensity. At 14 points, 5 rebounds in the five games played last year against the Jazz, Jackson was not unworthy.
But this year, he obviously wants to do even better, and he even dreams of the supreme title.
“During the playoffs, I live, I eat and I sleep basketball. I think of our adversary all the time. And, honestly, if I gave advice to young players who arrive, I would tell them that you have to know everything about your direct opponent and the team in general. You have to know all the tendencies of your direct opponent, and even more, where he grew up and where he comes from. You never know when this information will come in handy, but hey, what better things do you have to do in the playoffs? »
| Jaren Jackson, Jr. | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | MEM | 58 | 26 | 50.6 | 35.9 | 76.6 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 13.8 |
| 2019-20 | MEM | 57 | 29 | 46.9 | 39.4 | 74.7 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 17.4 |
| 2020-21 | MEM | 11 | 24 | 42.4 | 28.3 | 83.3 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 14.4 |
| 2021-22 | MEM | 73 | 27 | 41.9 | 32.5 | 81.6 | 1.6 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 16.4 |
| Total | 199 | 27 | 45.6 | 35.4 | 78.7 | 1.3 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 15.8 | |