{"id":156512,"date":"2025-08-26T12:26:36","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T16:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=156512"},"modified":"2025-08-26T12:27:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T16:27:15","slug":"memphis-grizzlies-jaren-jackson-jr-poised-for-breakout-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/08\/26\/memphis-grizzlies-jaren-jackson-jr-poised-for-breakout-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. Poised for Breakout Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 1, Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> forward Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/a> underwent surgery to repair a turf toe injury<\/a> in his right foot, an unfortunate setback during offseason basketball activities. The Grizzlies announced that the procedure was successful and that the 25-year-old star will be re-evaluated in roughly 12 weeks. That timeline sets him up for a potential clearance just before the 2025-26 NBA season tips off.<\/p>\n

Memphis has made it clear that they expect Jackson to make a full recovery. Given his track record of overcoming injuries earlier in his career, there\u2019s optimism that this is more of a short-term hurdle than a long-term concern.<\/p>\n

Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. Poised for Breakout Season<\/h2>\n

Rising Into Stardom<\/h3>\n

Jackson has steadily developed since entering the league as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. His blend of size, agility, and defensive instincts has made him one of the most unique two-way players in the league.<\/p>\n

In 2022-23, Jackson earned the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award after leading the league in blocks with an incredible 3.0 per game. That same season, he made his first All-Star appearance, cementing himself as the defensive anchor for Memphis. By 2024-25, he had also elevated his offensive game, averaging a career-high 22.2 points per game while shooting 48.8% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n

Those numbers highlight his growth and show why the Grizzlies invested heavily in him, reportedly agreeing to a five-year, $240 million extension<\/a> to secure him as a long-term building block alongside Ja Morant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Statistical Growth Year Over Year<\/h3>\n

What makes Jackson\u2019s potential breakout in 2025-26 so compelling is the consistency of his improvement. His scoring averages have risen from 16.3 points per game in 2021-22 to 22.5 in 2023-24 and 22.2 last season. His three-point shooting has climbed to nearly 38%, making him one of the league\u2019s most dangerous stretch bigs.<\/p>\n

On the defensive end, his ability to protect the rim remains elite, with 2.0 blocks per game in 2024-25. His versatility allows him to guard multiple positions, giving Memphis an edge in switching schemes and late-game defensive sets.<\/p>\n

Simply put, Jackson\u2019s all-around production continues to trend upward, suggesting that his best basketball may still be ahead.<\/p>\n

Why 2025-26 Could Be His Breakout Year<\/h3>\n

There are several reasons to believe Jackson could reach another level this season:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Bigger Offensive Role<\/strong>: With Desmond Bane<\/a> traded to Orlando, Memphis needs a second scoring option behind Morant. Jackson is the logical choice to absorb that responsibility, particularly as a floor-spacing big man who can also dominate in the post.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Improved Offensive Skill Set<\/strong>: Jackson has become more confident in his mid-range and post-up game. If he continues to diversify his scoring, he could push past the 23\u201325 points per game mark.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Defensive Anchor<\/strong>: Even if his offensive numbers grow, Jackson\u2019s defensive reputation remains his calling card. His ability to block shots, contest drives, and cover ground makes him a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Leadership Role<\/strong>: At 25 years old, Jackson is no longer the young prospect developing behind veterans. He is now one of the franchise\u2019s leaders, tasked with setting the tone for a team looking to rebound after being swept in the first round by Oklahoma City last spring.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Bottom Line<\/h3>\n

    Jaren Jackson Jr.\u2019s injury was a setback, but it should not derail his trajectory. His numbers already place him among the league\u2019s elite big men, and with a larger offensive role on a Memphis team eager to return to contention, the 2025-26 season could be his breakout year.<\/p>\n

    If Jackson returns fully healthy and builds on his All-Star campaign, he could establish himself as the best two-way forward in the Western Conference and push Memphis closer to competing at the highest level.<\/p>\n

    \u00a9 Petre Thomas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    On July 1, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. underwent surgery to repair a turf toe injury in his right foot, an unfortunate setback during offseason basketball activities. The Grizzlies announced that the procedure was successful and that the 25-year-old star will be re-evaluated in roughly 12 weeks. That timeline sets him up for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5586,"featured_media":156562,"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":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,32,62],"tags":[1822,1150,4557],"class_list":["post-156512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-grizzlies","category-nba","tag-ja-morant","tag-jaren-jackson","tag-nba-offseason"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156512","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\/5586"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156512"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156564,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156512\/revisions\/156564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}