SALT LAKE CITY – In the hours leading to his NBA Summer League debut, Grizzlies’ rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. did what just about any 18-year-old lottery pick would to combat anxiety.
Well, maybe not everyone.
“I meditated in my hotel room a little bit to ease the tension,” Jackson said after delivering what’s safe to say was the best, first summer impression in Grizzlies history. “I listened to some Lo-fi music and relaxed. But once you get on the court, it feels a little easier. It feels better, like riding a bike again.”
Jackson looks to continue riding smoothly along Tuesday when the Grizzlies face the Jazz in their second game in as many days in the Utah Jazz Summer League. The No. 4 overall pick in last month’s draft, Jackson aims to build on a dynamic introduction to the NBA.
Like riding a bike, Jackson peddled his ready-for-the-NBA jumper to a game-high 29 points on 8-for-13 shooting from three-point range in the Grizzlies’ 103-88 victory over Atlanta in Monday’s summer league opener. The 6-11 Jackson made the first two threes he took in the opening minutes of the game, then ended the first half beating the buzzer on a shot from just inside the mid-court line.
Then, he really got hot.
By the fourth quarter, Jackson was taking – and making – heat check shots from various spots beyond the arc, including a corner three after which he faded into courtside seats at Vivint SmartHome Arena. One of the talents that set Jackson apart among other bigs drafted in the lottery was his near 40-percent shooting from three-point range during his lone season at Michigan State.
Yet one of the biggest questions that followed Jackson into the league was whether his quirky shooting motion and range could adapt and extend another three feet to the NBA three-point line. Even members of the Grizzlies' staff and front office debated if mechanical tweaks were needed. But Jackson's release - shot put motion and all - is getting the desired results so far.
If there was an element of surprise to Jackson’s prolific effort Monday, it wasn’t that he was able to adjust so quickly after putting in relentless work on his shot during the Grizzlies’ mini-camp last week to prepare for summer league play. Instead, it was that Jackson didn’t hesitate to shoot. And shoot. And shoot some more. He averaged only 6.6 shot attempts overall in his 35 games at Michigan State, and was more of a relief option on a deep Spartans team that prioritized other offensive playmakers.
On the Grizzlies' summer team, Jackson is now a focal point.
“We’re giving him freedom … for the most part, his shots were good shots, and he’s got confidence taking those shots,” Grizzlies summer league coach Adam Mazarei said. “He’s a high-energy kid, very easy to coach. So we want kids like that, and we want to give him freedom to use his talents. And one of his talents is shooting. He did a good job of knocking down shots.”
Playing power forward alongside third-year center and fellow former Spartan Deyonta Davis, Jackson is able to operate as a ‘Stretch-4,’ and spend considerable time facing the basket from the perimeter.
“I like shooting threes, so when you’re open, you have to take them,” said Jackson, who sparked the Grizzlies’ 13-for-25 shooting on threes against Atlanta. “There are 24 seconds on the shot-clock and you might not get a better shot sometimes. So coach told me if I get a good look (early), just shoot it.”
At what point did Jackson really feel the hot hand?
“I don’t know for sure … maybe when I hit the one I just threw up in the second half,” Jackson said of the heave that started his 4-for-6 finish on threes in his 12-point fourth quarter. “I just kind of felt like, ‘I don’t even know where I am right now.’”
What’s more important for the Grizzlies is where Jackson may end up. His versatility projects to make him an ideal fit alongside veteran starting center Marc Gasol, giving Memphis two interchangeable bigs with high basketball IQs who can impact the game on both ends of the floor. Davis, second-year forward Ivan Rabb, Jarell Martin and JaMychal Green, a starter entering the final season of his contract, round out the depth at power forward and center as the roster currently stands.
Entering the game, one might have expected that shooting display from Hawks’ lottery pick Trae Young, the first player in Division I history to lead the nation in scoring and assists. Young was the NCAA’s version of Steph Curry last season at Oklahoma. But he was upstaged by Jackson on Monday.
Young committed a foul just seconds into the game, air-balled three shots from distance in the first half and finished 4-for-20 effort overall, including 1-for-11 on threes. Applying the vice grip on Young was second-round pick Jevon Carter, the Naismith national defensive player of the year at West Virginia.
Carter hounded Young in similar fashion during their Big 12 matchup in January, when Young missed 14 of 22 shots and was forced into eight turnovers. Jackson setting the tone on offense and Carter providing the defensive spark from the outset was exactly the opening act the Grizzlies sought.
“It starts with Jevon – he’s a great on-ball defender, and it started with that game in college,” Mazarei said. “Our big guys were talking on ball screens, and big guys moved in, so Jevon could trust the rest of his teammates to do exactly what they were doing. As a team, we stopped (Young). It wasn’t just Jevon. It was a really good team defensive effort by everybody.”
Both Carter, selected with the No. 32 pick, and Jackson showed the level of potential that should help the Grizzlies in their attempt to bounce back from a 22-60 season. Jackson even departed his first summer league game with bragging rights in the family home.
The most threes Jaren Jackson Sr. made in a game during his 12-year NBA career, which included a championship with the Spurs, were seven. Jaren Jr. topped that by draining eight treys his first time in an NBA uniform as dad proudly watched from the stands as texts from friends buzzed on his phone.
“He only hit seven? That’s really funny,” the younger Jackson joked when told after the game of besting his dad. “Me and Chief (Jaren Sr.) are going to have to have a talk about that. He’s going to be salty.”
That might've been the sweetest among many shots Jaren Jr. nailed on the night.
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