{"id":123114,"date":"2025-02-17T17:57:50","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T22:57:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=123114"},"modified":"2025-02-17T17:57:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T22:57:50","slug":"jaren-jackson-jr-leap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/17\/jaren-jackson-jr-leap\/","title":{"rendered":"How Jaren Jackson Jr&#8217;s Leap Has Swayed Front Office Priorities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When the Memphis Grizzlies took big man forward <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jacksja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaren Jackson Jr<\/a> with the fourth overall pick in 2018, the front office likely didn&#8217;t envision him potentially being the main reason they&#8217;re second in the Western Conference standings. The Michigan State product has been a phenomenal and steady force all season.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson Jr. is averaging 23.2 points, 6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.3 steals this season. He&#8217;s shooting 49.5% from the field, 36% from the three, and 77% from the charity stripe. In the thick of the early season injury woes, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year has undoubtedly been the thrusting force behind the performance of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/16\/memphis-grizzlies-playoff-push\/\" target=\"_self\">second-best team in the West<\/a>. The level of play from Jackson Jr. has seamlessly shifted the minds of the Grizzlies&#8217; front office as they plan for their offseason agenda.<\/p>\n<h2>How Jaren Jackson Jr&#8217;s Leap Has Swayed Front Office Priorities<\/h2>\n<p>JJJ&#8217;s two-way gifts and talent at the forward position made him a prime complementary running mate when the Memphis Grizzlies selected their superstar guard <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/moranja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ja Morant<\/a> the following season. A brute defensive force that has an underrated touch around the basket has made the pairing nearly a flawless match. In the past, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins would rarely depend on Jackson Jr. offensively in the same capacity as he would defensively. Jackson Jr has improved and tightened his handle. It\u2019s enhanced his ability to counter as he navigates to the rack, making him a more viable scoring option. His respectable shooting stroke forces defenders to close out strong, making him a more complex cover. This season, he is shooting <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/catch-shoot?PerMode=Totals&amp;TeamID=1610612763&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=CATCH_SHOOT_FG3A\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">38.1 3P%<\/a> on catch-and-shoot three-pointers. He&#8217;s also one of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/leaders?CF=FG3M*GE*100:STL*GE*50:BLK*GE*50&amp;PerMode=Totals\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three players<\/a> this season who have totaled at least 100 3PM, 50 steals, and 50 blocks.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jaren Jackson Jr. Is Becoming an Elite Isolation Scorer\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YZyrN2bFNIs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>JJJ&#8217;s continued ascendance on the offensive side of the floor has contributed significantly to the Grizzlies&#8217; league-leading <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/teams\/traditional?sort=PTS&amp;dir=-1\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scoring<\/a> offense. But his impact defensively remains imminent and boundless. The Grizzlies pace a <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/team\/1610612763\/onoffcourt-advanced?dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">106.4<\/a> defensive rating when JJJ graces the hardwood. This consistent level of two-way play has made it even more facile for the Grizzlies&#8217; front office to build around Jackson Jr with competent plug-in-play assets. The former Spartan is <a  href=\"https:\/\/dunksandthrees.com\/epm\/actual\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">8th<\/a> in Estimated Plus-Minus. He is also a part of <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/team\/1610612763\/lineups-advanced?CF=MIN*GE*75&amp;GroupQuantity=4&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=NET_RATING\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">four<\/a> of the top five most productive four-man Grizzlies rotations this season. His steady, consistent level of play this season has further warranted more attention from the front office about his future in Memphis.<\/p>\n<h3>JJJ&#8217;s Future<\/h3>\n<p>Jaren Jackson Jr. is in the third year of the four-year\/$104 million-dollar contract he signed with the Grizzlies front office back in <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nba\/player\/_\/id\/26970\/jaren-jackson-jr#:~:text=2025%20Rookie%20Extension-,Jaren%20Jackson%20Jr.,dead%20cap%20value%20of%20%2425%2C257%2C798.\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2021<\/a>. His annual salary has decreased each season since. Before the season, Jackson Jr was eligible to extend for three years worth $106 million. His outstanding play for the Grizzlies has landed him in the running for numerous NBA accolades and potential incentive bonuses.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jaren Jackson Jr: &#039;Mind completely shifted to Memphis.&#039; Now NBA All-Star Game is Over\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CwH7VlgFmxE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Jackson Jr. earned his second All-Star nod this season. In the All-Star Game, he chipped in four points, two rebounds, and assists each in 8 minutes for Kenny\u2019s Young Stars. Jackson Jr will be eligible for a lucrative supermax contract if he makes an All-NBA team and or is named the Defensive Player of the Year. Morant and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/banede01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Desmond Bane<\/a> are both locked in through 2027-28. GM Zach Kleiman and the Grizzlies front office still have time on the clock to properly assess Jackson Jr\u2019s financial outlook as well as the rest of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/13\/grizzlies-santi-aldama-free-agent-priority\/\" target=\"_self\">Grizzlies&#8217; roster<\/a>. Unlike last year, that clock has begun ticking. Ultimately, it could be argued that JJJ is the center piece of the Grizzlies&#8217; future.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo credit: \u00a9 David Gonzales-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the Memphis Grizzlies took big man forward Jaren Jackson Jr with the fourth overall pick in 2018, the front office likely didn&#8217;t envision him potentially being the main reason they&#8217;re second in the Western Conference standings. The Michigan State product has been a phenomenal and steady force all season. Jackson Jr. is averaging 23.2 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5331,"featured_media":124307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,32,62],"tags":[1822,1948,49042,3840],"class_list":["post-123114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-grizzlies","category-nba","tag-ja-morant","tag-jaren-jackson-jr","tag-santi-aldama","tag-taylor-jenkins"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123114"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124309,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123114\/revisions\/124309"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}