To say that the 2023-24 NBA season did not go as planned for the Memphis Grizzlies would be a massive understatement. Not only did they miss the boat to the NBA Playoffs and the Play-in Tournament phase, but they also went from winning 51 games the previous campaign to just 27 victories in the next one. All that being said, the Grizzlies were not without a bright spot this season.
One of them is rookie GG Jackson, who showed out for the Grizzlies in the team’s regular-season finale on Sunday versus Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
GG Jackson Puts on a Show for Memphis Grizzlies in Regular-Season Finale vs. Nuggets
Jackson helped the Grizzlies-Nuggets game watchable, particularly for Memphis fans, who just wanted to catch a glimpse of their team one more time before the offseason. The former South Carolina Gamecocks star muscled out a franchise record-setting performance, finishing with 44 points and 12 rebounds while connecting on 17/36 shooting from the field in a 126-111 loss at home.
Jackson has indeed come a long way from getting selected deep in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft to signing a two-way deal with the Grizzlies and inking a four-year regular contract.
“It’s the most adversity I’ve ever had to deal with mentally,” Jackson told reporters after the loss to the reigning NBA champions (per ESPN). “My entire career with basketball, everything was given and super smooth. … I just had to sharpen up and polish.”
In the last four Grizzlies games this season, Jackson averaged 27.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 41.2 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from the 3-point area.
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