Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. made NBA history last season, per StatMuse. He became the first player ever to average at least 3.0 blocks and 1.5 3s per game.
Jackson Jr. appeared in 63 games last season. He averaged 18.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 3.0 blocks while shooting 50.6% from the field, 35.5% from beyond the arc and 78.8% from the free-throw line. The 23-year-old made his first All-Star team and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Jackson Jr. led the NBA in blocks per game last season. He helped the Grizzlies win 51 regular-season games. Memphis was the second seed in the Western Conference and faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. Most pundits thought the Grizzlies would beat the Lakers since they were the higher seed.
However, the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies in six games. Jackson Jr. averaged 18.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 blocks in the six-game series while shooting 42.2% overall, 28.0% from 3 and 86.1% from the free-throw line.
The Grizzlies’ front office has been busy this summer. The franchise acquired Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics, signed former MVP Derrick Rose in free agency, traded Tyus Jones to the Washington Wizards, parted ways with Dillon Brooks by not re-signing him and signed Desmond Bane to a rookie-scale extension.
Jackson Jr., Bane, Smart and Rose will have to play very well while Ja Morant is out for Memphis to stay competitive in the rugged Western Conference next season. Morant will miss the first 25 games of 2023-24. Both Smart and Rose are expected to mentor the superstar point guard, who averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists last season in 61 games.
Morant has been suspended by the NBA for 25 games for showing a gun on an IG Live video for a second time. He was suspended for eight games in March last season after the first incident.
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