The Friday Three: Jaren Jackson Jr. is an All-Star
And two other Memphis Grizzlies thoughts
Things got weird on Thursday for the Memphis Grizzlies…both in the best and worst of ways.
On one hand, Ja Morant’s squad lost for the 7th time in 8 outings at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers while Jaren Jackson Jr. watched the game out due to injury. Jaren and Ja both watched their teammate Dillon Brooks get ejected for - um, questionable hand placement - against Donovan Mitchell, who did not appreciate that one bit. Understandably so.
On the other hand, yesterday Memphis Grizzlies history was made when two members of the roster were named to the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. Ja Morant being named to the team was not too surprising - he’s one of the 10 or so best players in the NBA. It’d be shocking if he did NOT get in the game.
It was his partner in crime getting in - deservingly - that was a mild surprise. The Memphis Grizzlies rebuild continues to set a new standard for what success for the franchise can be. And that reality seems like a wonderful place to start this edition of The Friday Three.
All Hail Jaren Jackson Jr. - All-Star
What a fun moment for Jaren and his teammates before the unfortunate drumming at the hands of the Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Jaren Jackson Jr. is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year this season in the NBA, and it is well deserved recognition for a talent that has come a long way in his time with the Grizzlies. But given the wealth of talent in the Western Conference this season - De’Aaron Fox, Anthony Davis, and Devin Booker all were not named to the team but fully would’ve been understandable additions - it was reasonable to expect Jaren to miss out.
And yet, he didn’t. And now, Ja and Jaren get to experience All-Star weekend together.
Jaren’s absence coincides with the Grizzlies defense being miserable. It was shown in the squad being middling at best before Jackson Jr. came back from injury earlier in the season, and it really was once again evident with him out against the Cavaliers. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley had their way in the paint. That would not have been the case if “JJJ” had been on the floor.
Ja Morant deservedly gets the headlines and highest honors. But Jaren Jackson Jr. is the best two-way player on the current 2 seed in the Western Conference. While it wasn’t an expected selection, it is a deserving one.
Congratulations to Jaren.
Improving without testing roster chemistry
No offense to Jake LaRavia, but if he were to leave the Memphis Grizzlies via trade today, or any day leading up to next week’s trade deadline, it is unlikely that such a deal would rock the boat of the rotation too much. At the very least, it wouldn’t be as disrupting as - say - moving on from Dillon Brooks, or to a lesser extent Danny Green. And while O.G. Anunoby may well wing up in Memphis, for a front office that seems averse to trying to make major changes midseason that seems like a mighty swing to take…and an out of character one.
Enter a theoretical LaRavia trade, who is very flawed at the moment (he looked lost both mentally and physically against the Cavaliers when he was forced in to playing time). Yet he is a young (21-years-old) stretch four type who has a sweet stroke from three (at least, it looks sweet) and could very well develop in to a contributor in an NBA rotation.
But if Memphis wants to contend for a title this season, LaRavia won’t be a key cog in that machine. And with the wealth of youthful talent ahead of him - including draft class mate David Roddy at this stage - perhaps LaRavia makes sense as a trade deadline sweetener.
LaRavia, Xavier Tillman, and two 2nd round picks for Coby White from Chicago. Or LaRavia and a 1st rounder (maybe a 2nd rounder as well) for Saddiq Bey of the Pistons. There are ways, if you want to keep the Ja Morant/Desmond Bane/Dillon Brooks/Jaren Jackson Jr./Steven Adams/Tyus Jones/Ziaire Williams/Danny Green/Brandon Clarke/Santi Aldama crew together, to do so without moving any currently significant rotation piece.
You’d just be parting with a potential future contributor (and a varying amount of draft capital). But when you are the #2 seed in the Western Conference for the second season in a row, it’s probably time to have one eye on the here and now and the other down the proverbial road.
Ending on a positive note…
After another tough loss, the Grizzlies are in a spot where that previously mentioned #2 seed feels like it is on a bit more shaky ground. But the good news is that the team has a couple reasons to be optimistic about a turnaround coming.
First off, this remains crazy to me.
For a young team to not be able to practice across roughly 21 days is an underestimated issue. Between missed opportunities to address concerns in a controlled environment and simply a chance to get up a LOT of shots to try to find rhythm (which Memphis desperately needs) losing these sessions stings. Thankfully, after a day off Friday (important after a back to back) there should be a Saturday practice session. And that would be an excellent development - cleaning up mistakes is done best in that space.
The Grizzlies, one of the best home teams in the NBA, also have three games in a row at FedExForum coming up starting Sunday against the Toronto Raptors. In fact, including today Memphis only has four games across the next 10 days - Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday. So between Saturday the 4th and Wednesday or Thursday of next week, there should/could be a couple of practices (weather permitting). And considering none of these games are part of a back to back - and Memphis does not have another back to back until February 28th/March 1st - a lot of rest, recovery, and review could be done both before and after the All-Star Break.
The opponents will be challenging on most nights during that stretch. But such is life in the NBA. With the play-in tournament cemented in the league schedule, more teams are competing for postseason spots than ever before. But no back to backs means hopefully more opportunity for Danny Green to space, shoot, and help lead these young Grizzlies on the floor. The three home games serve as valuable chances for role players to find their footing. Jaren Jackson Jr. can get ready for Sunday and be ready to roll, more than likely. And even without Steven Adams, actual meeting and practice time to address the gaps left behind in his absence could help alleviate that burden some.
It’s been a rough couple weeks for the Grizzlies. But the good news is there’s a softer landing potentially that provides opportunity to turn things around during the shortest month of the year.