Tag: Jaren Jackson Jr.

Jalen Smith spoke with Nets’ whole front office: ‘They’re great guys’

Jalen Smith learned a lof from watching Kevin Garnett growing up, but there’s a current player on the Memphis Grizzlies who he studies.

Jalen Smith wasn’t willing to reveal any teams he’d spoken with or worked out for during Thursday’s Zoom call with the media, but the Maryland big man had previously revealed he has spoken with the Nets organization of the 2020 NBA draft.

In doing so, he expressed it’d be “a dream come true to” play with Kevin Durant. Not only does he like the prospect of playing with the star forward, Smith’s interaction with the Nets’ “whole front office” has gone well.

“They’re great guys,” he said on Zoom Thursday. “They just telling me how much film they’ve been watching on me, telling me things that they see I need to improve on and pretty much said they that the main ideal coming into the league is getting ready and just get ready to work. No matter what obstacles are ahead of me gotta be able to hit it hard and make sure that you don’t back down.”

As for what Smith would bring to Brooklyn, he’s expressed Kevin Garnett is someone he always looked up to for his energy and work ethic.

But when it comes to his style of play, Smith studies someone from today’s game.

“I watch a lot of Jaren Jackson Jr.,” he said. “Him being a big with the footwork that he has, being able to guard guards on the defensive end and just being that offensive and defensive player for the [Memphis] Grizzlies.”

Jaren Jackson Jr. receives Medallion Award for work on voting initiatives

Former MSU star and current Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson was given the NASS Medallion Award Monday.

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One of the defining characteristics of an athlete who has passed through Michigan State is their leadership both on and off the court. Well, you can add Jaren Jackson Jr. to the long list of leaders the Spartans have produced.

On Monday, Memphis Grizzlies star and former MSU big man Jackson was honored by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) for his continued work on Tennessee Voting initiatives through receiving their Medallion Award.

Specifically, Jackson was honored by Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

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How have the Grizzlies performed without Jaren Jackson Jr.?

The Memphis Grizzlies received devastating news on Tuesday, losing versatile forward Jaren Jackson Jr. for the remainder of the season.

The Memphis Grizzlies received devastating news on Tuesday, losing versatile forward Jaren Jackson Jr. for the remainder of the season.

After three defeats in their first three games since entering the Orlando bubble, the organization was already in danger of losing the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. Now without Jackson in the mix, will the Grizzlies be able to recover?

The first place to look is at how star rookie Ja Morant has played with and without his teammate.

The two-man lineup of Morant and Jackson played 1,034 minutes together this season. Their offensive rating (107.5) and defensive rating (108.2) were actually both a touch below what the team has averaged as a whole this year. per NBA.com.

Morant, however, has also played 854 minutes without Jackson on the court. According to NBAWowy, the Grizzlies had a nearly identical offensive rating (107.07) and defensive rating (107.40) during those 1,837 possessions. They were outscored by a mere 0.32 points per 100 when featuring Morant without Jackson.

When the two players have appeared on the court at the same time, Morant has averaged 21.2 points with 8.6 assists per 36 minutes. Those figures drop to 20.7 points and 8.1 assists per 36 without Jackson, which makes sense as Morant has assisted Jackson on 73 occasions this season.

Generally speaking, however, the numbers for Morant and the Grizzlies have been surprisingly consistent with or without Jackson on the floor.

While not ideal, Memphis also likely brags the depth to survive such an injury. First and foremost, they can move Brandon Clarke into the starting lineup. The rookie forward has started just three games thus but has averaged 20.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per 36 when he has played alongside Morant but not Jackson.

Clarke recorded 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 34 minutes of action during his first game back for the Grizzlies on July 31. He has been one of the more essential players in the rotation for Memphis and will need to be a consistent force for the team to make a playoff push.

The news is significantly exacerbated, though, by the absence of injured guard Tyus Jones. Without him healthy, the team was already struggling to connect from beyond the arc. Jackson, who is the leading three-point scorer for the Grizzlies, helps space the floor as a long-range shooter for their offense.

For such a young team, the biggest problem suffered is that injury will hurt the momentum and chemistry that the core will gain from playing together in the trenches during the bubble as well as a potential postseason run. Those are teachable moments that will be irreplaceable as the team gains experience and grows as a unit.

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Jaren Jackson Jr. out for rest of NBA season with torn meniscus

Former Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. will miss the rest of the NBA season with a torn meniscus.

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Michigan State Basketball had three former players suiting up this summer in the NBA Bubble to finish the 2019-20 NBA. Of those players, the standout has been Jaren Jackson Jr., who has easily been the best player on the Memphis Grizzlies (no disrespect to Ja Morant, who is also awesome). In some heartbreaking news for basketball fans, Adrian Wojnarowski (Woj) of ESPN reported on Tuesday that Jaren Jackson Jr. will miss the rest of this NBA season after suffering a meniscus tear in his left knee.

Devastating news for JJJ, the Grizzlies, and Michigan State fans who like to watch former players play at the next level.

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Ja Morant, Grizzlies’ playoff hopes took a massive hit on Tuesday

Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the season.

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Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee on Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans and will miss the remainder of the season, the team announced.

Jackson experienced an unstable landing after making contact with an opposing player while contesting a shot, the Grizzlies said in a press release. He recorded 22 points in nearly 32 minutes of playing during the 109-99 loss to the Pelicans.

The Grizzlies have lost three consecutive games since restarting the season at the Wide World of Sports Complex. The team has just a two-game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs in ninth and 10th place, respectively, with five games left to play.

Watch: Jaren Jackson Jr. drives, spins to the basket for highlight layup

Former Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. had a nice spin move to layup highlight for the Grizzlies on Monday.

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Less than two years into his career, former Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. has already established himself as a legitimate star at the NBA level, on both ends of the court. While he has largely impressed as a shooter and rim protector, he has also clearly been working on other aspects of his game, like his ball-handling. In tonight’s match-up against the New Orleans Pelicans, Jaren Jackson Jr. had one of the highlights of the evening as he spun his way to a nice layup, flashing some impressive guard skills.

You can watch the smooth play below:

Jackson led the Memphis grizzlies with 22 points in a loss to the Pelicans.

If Jackson can add this level of finesse to his game consistently, watch out NBA.

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Jaren Jackson Jr. scores 33-points against Portland Trail Blazers in seeding game

Jaren Jackson Jr. went off against the Portland Trailblazers, scoring 33 points and making an impact all over the court.

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Former Michigan State basketball player Jaren Jackson Jr. went off in the first seeding game against the Portland Trail Blazers last night. Jackson finished the game with 33 points, six threes, three rebounds, one steal, and one block. He also shot a ridiculous 40% from three-point land while taking 15 three-point shots.

Check out a few plays courtesy of the Memphis Grizzlies Twitter account below:

Jaren Jackson Jr. is legitimately special on the basketball court. Personally, I would take Jaren Jackson Jr. over Kristaps Porzingis every day of the week. Porzingis is talented but not as sound on defense as many analysts think. Jackson, on the other hand, is a strong rim protector and can score from anywhere on the court. He will drive to the rim and dunk on you or drop devastating threes from deep.

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Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz react to Matisse Thybulle’s poster slam

Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz react to Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle’s dunk against the Memphis Grizzlies.

As the Philadelphia 76ers get back at it in Orlando, there are a few changes to their world on the floor. In their 90-83 scrimmage opening win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, there was a big difference to their lineup. Shake Milton is moving into the starting lineup, Ben Simmons is moving over to the power forward spot, and Al Horford is coming off the bench.

What nobody expected though was rookie Matisse Thybulle putting somebody on an absolute poster.

Thybulle took a pass from Alec Burks and he went flying down the lane and slammed it home over Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. This was nothing new for Simmons who said that the rookie has become more vocal and aggressive in practice.

“He’s getting better. He actually was talking [expletive] to me the other day in practice so I love to see that side of him,” Simmons said. “People usually think Matisse is very calm and to himself in a nice matter, but when he was on the court the other day, he was actually talking a lot to me which you love to see. Guys getting confident and finding their own and the way he was attacking the rim, he’s only going to get stronger and better. To see him come down that lane like that and dunk on somebody who’s also very athletic is a good sign for me.”

The dunk was so ferocious that it also caught the eye of former Sixers guard and current Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz. The former number 1 overall pick couldn’t believe what he just saw.

The Sixers will continue their scrimmage schedule on Sunday when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. It will give Brown and the rest of the team another chance to get used to the many changes on their roster. [lawrence-related id=35406,35388,35364]

Morant, Jackson can help Grizzlies make history with playoff berth

With Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. leading the way, the Grizzlies can make a bit of NBA history should they qualify for the playoffs.

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With the NBA tentatively set to return on July 31, the Memphis Grizzlies can make a bit of NBA history should the team qualify for the postseason in the Western Conference.

The Grizzlies were in eighth place when the regular season was suspended on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Should they maintain that position, and make the playoffs, they would make history behind the play of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Grizzlies can become the third team in NBA history to make the playoffs with their two top scorers under the age of 21. Morant leads the Grizzlies with 17.6 points per game while Jackson is second with 16.9 points per game.

The NBA Board of Governors on Thursday approved a competitive format to restart the 2019-20 season with 22 teams returning to play. The 16 current playoff teams and six additional teams will travel to the Walt Disney World Resort to play near Orlando, Florida.

Each team will play eight regular-season games for seeding purposes for the NBA Playoffs. After the eight games, if the ninth seed is fewer than four games behind the eighth seed, the two teams will participate in a play-in tournament. If the eighth seed is more than four games ahead of the ninth seed, the eighth seed earns the playoff berth.

If the Grizzlies hold onto the eighth seed, they would either outright qualify for the postseason or participate in a play-in tournament with the ninth-placed team. In that scenario, they would need to be beaten twice to be eliminated so they appear to have a good chance to make history.

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NBA players demand change following the death of George Floyd

Players around the NBA, and citizens across the United States, have become outraged following the tragic death of George Floyd.

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Players around the NBA, and citizens across the United States, have become outraged following the tragic death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer during an arrest.

Witness videos showed the officer, identified as Derek Chauvin, kneeling into the neck of Floyd for nearly eight minutes. Floyd can be heard pleading with the officer after he stated he could not breathe while handcuffed after matching the description of a suspect in a forgery case at a local grocery store.

The four police officers involved in the arrest of Floyd have been fired and the death is being investigated by the FBI and state authorities. The Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, asked that the officer be criminally charged in the death of Floyd.

The killing of Floyd has sparked protests and gatherings as Americans demand change against social injustice and unjust treatment of minorities. Scores of athletes and celebrities have also called for the arrest of Chauvin and for change to be made.

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