MEMPHIS – Relegated to the bench as he progresses from a thigh injury that has sidelined him since the All-Star break, Jaren Jackson Jr. fits his current role about as well as he does that too snug, navy blue suit jacket he’s fond of wearing during games.
Jackson is hardly alone.
In the month and weeks since the NBA trade deadline, Jackson, Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson have been so hyped, so jubilant and so energized on the bench after every encouraging moment, they’ve left many fans wondering how players in the midst of rehabbing could demonstrably rejoice to this extent.
“We want to be out there,” Jackson said of the Grizzlies, who carry a three-game home winning streak into Wednesday’s matchup against the Rockets. “Dillon, Kyle, myself – the three of us definitely want to play, but we don’t (only) look at it like that. We’re happy for whoever is on the court getting their opportunities to play. Being able to watch from afar what everybody does, it gives us a chance to figure everything out.”
That’s exactly what the rest of this season is all about for the Grizzlies: Figuring everything out.
That includes figuring out over the remaining dozen games which current pieces fit on a roster that was largely overhauled at midseason. It involves figuring out, maximizing and prioritizing options among a half-dozen players on the team who could enter free agency this summer, and what offers make sense. And it also involves the eventual, 100-percent return to health of the Grizzlies young core, which, by turn, has involved erring on the side of caution recently as Jackson (thigh), Brooks (toe surgery) and Anderson (shoulder) addressed health issues that disrupted their productive and promising seasons, respectively.
We’re happy for whoever is on the court getting their opportunities to play. Being able to watch from afar what everybody does, it gives us a chance to figure everything out.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
All three players were in practice gear during team workouts this week, progressing through varying stages of conditioning or rehab. None, however, are likely to return to over the season’s final dozen games.
The Grizzlies may have seen enough evidence during their recent upturn – a 5-5 record in their first 10 games back from the All-Star break – to enter the offseason thinking that a few tweaks may be more necessary than a complete roster rebuild. Jackson, the fourth overall pick in last summer’s draft, was just beginning to expand his game and take on more responsibility in the two weeks after Memphis moved on from Marc Gasol at the February trade deadline.
Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 and Chandler Parsons #25 of the Memphis Grizzlies react to a play during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 5, 2019 at FedExForum in Memphis, TN. Photo by Joe Murphy via Getty Images.
And the three players who arrived in the trade with Toronto for Gasol – center Jonas Valanciunas, combo guard Delon Wright and veteran swingman C.J. Miles – have produced their best stretches of the season since joining the Grizzlies. Miles suffered a season-ending foot injury in Saturday’s loss at Washington, which came a game after he scored a season-high 33 points in Atlanta.
Veteran guard Avery Bradley, the team’s other trade deadline acquisition, has seen his scoring and shooting percentages spiked in his first month in Memphis after arriving from the Clippers.
The downside is that Jackson, the budding face of the franchise at power forward, only got to play a total of two games with Valanciunas and the new additions after the trade. The Jackson-Valanciunas frontcourt pairing was only an enticing tease of what could come in the short-term future.
“Jonas has been killing it,” Jackson said recently. “I’m definitely thinking about that (one-two interior punch). I’m definitely making sure that when I come back, I’m ready to complement his game.”
Meanwhile, catalyst Mike Conley has struck a rhythm with Valanciunas that sparked the most prolific scoring binges of both Conley’s career and Valanciunas’ season. A revamped Memphis squad showed exactly what it’s capable of by sweeping a three-game homestand and posting a top-five NBA net rating through consecutive wins over playoff contenders in the Blazers, Jazz and Magic.
But then came last week’s tragic road trip that tripped up Memphis. The striding Grizzlies were shredded in losses to Atlanta and Washington, surrendering a total of 34 made three-pointers and allowing 130-plus points in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.
Regrouping and regaining some semblance of balance is a priority down the stretch for the Grizzlies, a team simply trying to gel and generate positive momentum to finish on a productive note. The past two games aside, Memphis had posted the NBA’s best defensive rating as well as a top-five offense through the month that followed the All-Star break. With an offense that scored 104 or more points 12 times during a recent 13-game stretch, coach J.B. Bickerstaff could only wonder what a completely healthy Jackson, Anderson and Brooks would add alongside Conley and Valanciunas – and solid bench depth.
Jonas Valanciunas #17 of the Memphis reacts with Mike Conley #11 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the game against the Orlando Magic on March 10, 2019 at FedExForum in Memphis, TN. Photo by Joe Murphy via Getty Images.
“Yeah you think about that,” a perked-up Bickerstaff said as he contemplated the possibilities. “That would be a tough (unit) to face. I think teams would have to make some really difficult decisions on how you play (Jackson and Valanciunas) for one. Both of them can space out. Both can punish you in the paint. And with Kyle’s playmaking ability, around that lineup you can put a lot of spacing with guys that can shoot. So now Kyle’s playmaking and pick-and-roll becomes even better. It is definitely intriguing.”
That level of intrigue has not only raised Conley’s spirits in the weeks after an emotional trade deadline, but has also buoyed his impact on the court. During the homestand Memphis swept, Conley averaged more than 31 points and nearly eight assists while shooting 55 percent from three-point range to earn the first NBA Western Conference Player of the Week award of his 12-year career.
Conley has scored at least 20 points in five straight games, and could match the longest such streak of his career should he hit that scoring mark again Wednesday against Houston.
“Every time we win, you’ve got music blasting and guys are dancing in the locker room,” Conley said of the bond and vibe this team has formed the past month. “You can see the joy in everybody’s face. We can feel it (even) when we were losing. Guys were all in and just trying to do the right things. Now that we’ve won a few, it’s (showing) what our hard work and unselfish play can do. Hopefully, we are building something. Everyone is heading in the right direction to end the season.”
Bringing this post-trade version of the Grizzlies back intact next season will be a significant challenge. Following exit interviews, the team’s first order of business is learning where it falls after the results of the May 14 NBA Draft lottery. If the Grizzlies are slotted within the top eight, they will keep their pick and have the right to add another young prospect to groom alongside the 19-year-old Jackson. Should Memphis get slotted ninth or later in the lottery order, the pick is conveyed to Boston to complete terms of a previous trade between the teams.
You can see the joy in everybody’s face. We can feel it (even) when we were losing. Hopefully, we are building something. Everyone is heading in the right direction to end the season.
Mike Conley
The next order of offseason business from there is to determine what path to take with Conley, who has two seasons remaining on the five-year, $153 million deal he signed in 2016. The Grizzlies had trade discussions with multiple teams about Conley as the February trade deadline approached, but ultimately chose to keep the catalyst who steered the franchise through seven straight playoff berths. Bringing Conley back could signal a push to keep in place many components of this current team. Trading Conley this offseason would almost certainly ignite a deeper rebuild by securing draft assets and younger players.
And that decision likely sets the tone for what happens with Valanciunas, who must decide by late June whether to opt into the final season and $17.6 million left on his contract or opt out and enter July 1 free agency. The Grizzlies must then decide whether to trigger the $12.9 million team option next season on Bradley, who is only guaranteed $2 million of that amount if released. And Wright is facing a $3.6 million qualifying offer from Memphis as he approaches restricted free agency this summer.
Those are just some of the looming issues as the Grizzlies close out the season – one that seemed broken a few months ago but now has a few solid blocks on which to potentially build moving forward.
“It’s great to see,” Brooks said of his view from the sideline as the offseason picture comes into focus. “I like seeing change, I like seeing things move forward and seeing progress. I can jump in and create more progress (next season) and get back to our winning ways. I love seeing guys like Mike out there playing (with) all the new guys we have on the floor. We’ve still got a great group of guys that are intelligent, guys that are fun to be around. We can’t do it with just one person, we’ve got to do it with everybody.”
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