MEMPHIS – Moments after his encouraging season debut the other night in the Grizzlies’ loss to the Clippers, Jaren Jackson Jr. couldn’t wait to retreat to his hotel room to watch film.
It’s nearly impossible to find anyone who would be more critical of Jackson’s performance than the third-year forward would be of himself in such a time.
For as much as Jackson relatively shook off the dust and knocked off some rust to finish with 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in 18 minutes, it wasn’t the stats that stuck with him.
It was the sting of the overall result. The optimism surrounding Jackson’s return from last summer’s knee surgery was tempered by a disappointing setback as the Grizzlies squandered an early 18-point lead to fall Wednesday to the deeply depleted Clippers.
“I’m going to take it all in, go in my room, sit with my thoughts, and the competitor in me is definitely going to think of ways we could have won that game,” Jackson said as he shifted his focus to Friday’s game against the Trail Blazers. “For sure, it’s mixed emotions. I’m a competitor, and at all costs I want to get a win. So we’ve definitely got work to do.”
That work has the Grizzlies (29-28) pushing forward on dual tracks as they continue the longest road trip in the 20-year, Memphis era of the franchise. Having split the first four matchups of the seven-game, 12-day trek, the Grizzlies stop in Portland for a two-game set on Friday and Sunday before wrapping up with Monday’s return trip to Denver.
With 15 regular-season games remaining, the Grizzlies sit eighth in the Western Conference standings looking to secure a postseason berth. The Mavericks, Grizzlies, Warriors and Spurs are currently positioned in the seventh through tenth spots in the West, which would qualify for the NBA’s Play-In Tournament to lock in the seventh and eighth playoff seeds.
So as the Grizzlies collectively try to gain their footing for a stretch-run sprint to the finish, Jackson is simultaneously working to regain his form after an eight-month recovery process. The next incremental steps for the talented 6-foot-11 forward unfold this weekend in Portland as Jackson aims to build on Wednesday’s encouraging effort on both ends of the court.
At the end of the day, his mentality is to help this team as much as possible. We’re going to be smart with his minutes, making sure he gets back to the level and minutes he was accustomed to before this injury.
In his 18 minutes off the bench, Jackson shot 4-for-11 from the field, knocked down his first shot attempt of the game on a 3-pointer and was a disruptive presence defensively in the paint. The downside of his performance were the five fouls that appeared to limit his playing time beyond any minutes restriction coach Taylor Jenkins and the staff have Jackson under initially.
Jenkins wouldn’t specify how many games Jackson might come off the bench or how long the dynamic No. 4 overall pick from the 2018 draft might be under a minutes restriction. But as was the case Wednesday, the bulk of Jackson’s playing time will likely come at center on Friday, with Jonas Valanciunas set to miss his third straight game under concussion protocols.
“It’s been a long road, but I give the kid so much credit – he’s come in every day with an unbelievable attitude to get himself healthy,” Jenkins said of Jackson’s recovery from the left knee meniscus injury he sustained in the Orlando NBA bubble last July. “At the end of the day, his mentality is to help this team as much as possible. We’re going to be smart with his minutes, making sure he gets back to the level and minutes he was accustomed to before this injury.”
Jackson averaged 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range in 57 games last season. He became the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 2.5 made threes and block at least one shot per game. Adding Jackson’s talent back into the mix could make the NBA’s youngest team even more dangerous despite facing one of the league’s toughest closing schedules over the final month.
Those 15 games in 24 days include five back-to-back sets, with eight on the road and 11 against teams either currently in a playoff spot or in legitimate contention for the play-in tournament. The Grizzlies are only 2 ½-games behind Portland for the sixth seed, with the teams meeting three times in a span of six days. The Blazers travel to Memphis on Wednesday.
He’s seen a lot of games and he understands what guys can do, and what he can input himself. He’s ready to get out there. But he’s not going to rush anything, especially at this point.
Jackson’s teammates understand both the urgency of the moment in a playoff race as well as the importance of deliberately but patiently working Jackson back up to speed in the rotation.
“Jaren understands our system and what we’ve got going on,” guard De’Anthony Melton said. “He’s seen a lot of games and he understands what guys can do, and what he can input himself. He’s ready to get out there. But he’s not going to rush anything, especially at this point.”
Point guard Ja Morant simply wants to see his fellow franchise cornerstone get reacclimated without facing too much pressure or too many initial expectations.
I’m definitely just thankful to these guys for holding it down while I’ve been away, thankful to the organization, thankful to God. While I’m out there, I’m just having fun – just have that joy.
“We all know how hard he’s been working to get back,” Morant said. “Everybody knows what Jaren is capable of . . . so our message to him is to go out and play his game.”
Jackson knows it’ll take some time to get back to peak form. For now, he’ll maintain his focus on being a student of the game as he regains some semblance of rhythm on the court.
“You’re always going to make mistakes, but the point is to just keep pushing, playing hard and being there for your teammates,” Jackson said. “I’m definitely just thankful to these guys for holding it down while I’ve been away, thankful to the organization, thankful to God. While I’m out there, I’m just having fun – just have that joy.”
Jackson’s joy is back just in time to give the Grizzlies another late-season jolt.
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