Jaren Jackson Jr. Silences Injury Concerns After First Game Back vs. Hornets

Jackson Makes Preseason Debut

In 22 minutes, Jackson tallied 17 points and a pair of rebounds on an inefficient 9-for-20 shooting clip. Part of it he chalked up to preseason, though he would have been remiss to simply accept some of the shots that didn't fall.

"I was trying a lot of things," Jackson admitted, "(but) even the shots I missed I felt really good about. I just found it weird I missed them."

Last season, Jackson appeared in 74 games for Memphis, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, two assists, a career-high 1.2 steals and 1.5 blocks in 29.8 minutes while shooting 49 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3. He played a key role in Memphis' playoff push, despite its early exit.

In five years with the Grizzlies, Jackson has appeared in 407 games and averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, five assists, one steal and 1.9 blocks in 28.6 minutes. He's started all 27 playoff appearances and has averaged 15.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.9 blocks.

Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo is confident in his center's ability to take another step forward next season.

"He's a critical piece for us. One of the premiere bigs in the NBA. One of the best rim protectors ... offensively, just getting him incorporated — those are the next steps."

Jackson is aware of what he needs to work on.

"I need to make a lot more strides on (defense)," the center said before assuring that his performance left no reason for concern. "The right hand is there, trust me,."

Jackson was selected by Memphis with the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after his freshman season at Michigan State.

Now, he's set to earn nearly $50 million annually as Memphis continues to work toward further contention in the Western Conference. Returning from injury was simply the first step.