MEMPHIS – After scoring a career-high 44 points in the final game on the schedule to cap a late-season push for NBA All-Rookie team consideration, the last thing Grizzlies forward GG Jackson wanted was for the season to end.
The gregarious 19-year-old, who is the league’s youngest player, was having too much fun and success grinding through a rapid stretch of development.
“This has definitely opened up a new chapter,” Jackson insists as he eagerly eyes an offseason of increased opportunities. “And we’ve got to begin, you know, the next story. Now is where the real work begins because the stars are coming back. So, I’ve got to find exactly where do I fit? I believe I can fit for sure.”
That belief in Jackson permeates the franchise.
As the Grizzlies take inventory of a season that began with superstar Ja Morant’s 25-game NBA suspension and ended with a historic rash of injuries, they can also take solace in what was gained from a 27-55 campaign.
Atop that short list was the emergence of the Grizzlies’ last two second-round picks into first-rate rotation options as the team regroups for the 2024-25 season.
Second-year swingman Vince Williams Jr. parlayed his extended opportunities into a solidified role as Memphis’ breakout young prospect in the first half of the season. Then it was Jackson’s rapid ascension as a rookie down the stretch that allowed him to become one of the best developmental stories in the NBA.
By the time Jackson put the finishing touches on a 44-point outburst against the defending champion Denver Nuggets on April 14, the 6-foot-9 versatile forward ended the season as the NBA’s fourth-leading rookie scorer.
Not bad for a prospect whose jersey number reflects the slot where he was selected as the No. 45 pick in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. But Jackson used his first year in the league as a canvas to recreate the narrative around his fledgling NBA journey.
That ride started with Jackson’s rise as the nation’s top-rated prep prospects two years go. His reputation was then marred by a less-than-stellar freshman season at South Carolina, where his maturity and work ethic were questioned amid a steep slide on the draft board.
When the Grizzlies picked Jackson at No. 45, team president Zach Kleiman quickly cautioned that although supremely gifted, Jackson faced work ahead to mature on and off the court. Kleiman also insisted the Grizzlies would “give him the structure to do that.”
Having quickly progressed from a two-way G League deal to a four-year NBA contract, Jackson reflected at last week’s season exit interviews on his draft night vow to Kleiman.
“I still remember that phone call, when I was like, ‘I promise you, I’m not going to let you down; you did not make a mistake on this pick,’” Jackson recounted with gratitude following an encouraging rookie season. “Luckily, God moved me, and I showed it out on the court.”
Jackson is now ready to move into the next phases of improvement and impact.
In late May, he’ll be among a group of roster players who will return from a monthlong break to start voluntary offseason conditioning workouts. Those sessions will ramp up further in June as the Grizzlies embark on the NBA Draft, where they’re currently positioned to have a top-10 lottery pick as well as options in the second round.
From there, coach Taylor Jenkins confirmed, Jackson will help anchor the Grizzlies’ summer league team scheduled in July to compete in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
There were some questions as to whether Jackson’s extensive playing time late in the season against top NBA competition would negate his need for summer league. The Salt Lake City and Las Vegas leagues both feature games with mainly incoming rookie draft picks and undrafted free-agent prospects vying to make NBA rosters.
But Jenkins sees specific areas where Jackson can continue to expand his game well beyond what he displayed this season. Since moving up from the G League’s Memphis Hustle on Jan. 12, Jackson has played in 48 NBA games, including 18 starts.
Over his final 17 contests, Jackson averaged 19 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 33.2 minutes. Those 44 points against Denver in the season finale were the second-most points ever scored by a teenager in an NBA game.
And that was just the latest of many age-defying performances in which Jackson joined the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant to set NBA benchmarks for youth. Jenkins has challenged Jackson to work this summer on his shooting accuracy from various locations, his defensive technique and his vision and execution as a facilitator.
The notion is that Jackson will work more next season in a supporting role, likely off the bench, in a rotation anchored by a healthy Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart among others. Another offseason goal is for GG Jackson to beef up his 215-pound frame by adding seven-to-10 pounds of muscle definition.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity for him, just continuing to expand his game,” Jenkins said. “Obviously, he’s showcased so much this season. I mean, the kid’s got so much potential but we want to see that potential realized. And the work doesn’t stop. It’s not just saying it, it’s doing it. I think he’s fired up about it.”
When Jackson was reminded during his press conference that he was expected to play in summer league, he immediately pumped his fist and smiled as if he just made a big shot.
He simply can’t wait to get started again.
Or, perhaps, just continue doing what he’s been doing. There’s no offseason for Jackson.
When you’re learning, growing and developing as fast as he is, it’s just on to the next task.
Relatively soon, he’ll be back in the gym again working out with trainers and assistant coaches such as Anthony Carter, considered in NBA circles as one of the league’s top player development gurus.
“When we start open runs and workouts, Coach A.C. already told me, ‘It’s going to be hard, but don’t look at it like punishment – you’re going to be guarding the best,’” Jackson said of his exit meeting with the coaching staff. “He wants to put me on Ja . . . and I’m definitely going to give Des a run for his money, for sure. It’s all about getting each other better.”
Jackson then let out a sheepish laugh, thinking of the possibilities and intensity awaiting.
He’s still a teenager unafraid to let out his inner-child. It’s who he is – a big kid enjoying a game he’d play year-round for free, except he’s talented enough to rise to the highest level of the sport.
“Looking ahead to next year, GG’s opportunity will be whatever he’s ready for,” Kleiman assured yet again while balancing patience and the endless possibilities for Jackson’s continued growth. “We’re certainly going to continue to push GG and challenge him. We all see what he’s capable of doing. How that role continues to grow . . . that’ll play itself out.”
For now, Jackson impatiently awaits his next chance to keep playing.
The schedule reveals his rookie season has officially ended.
But the seasoning of his development is a process that never ceases.