It is always an amazing sight to see the oldest player in the league play with the youngest. That is exactly what happened when the Los Angeles Lakers had to face the Memphis Grizzlies. LeBron James and GG Jackson had to guard each other for a good amount of the game and it was not at all a bad matchup. Despite Coach Taylor Jenkins' squad taking the loss, The King had a lot of high praise for the rookie, via David McMenamin of ESPN
“Ever since he's been playing, he's gotten better and better,” was the sweet declaration LeBron James had about GG Jackson.
With the help of Coach Taylor Jenkins' schemes, the Grizzlies rookie was able to hold his own against the Lakers legend. GG Jackson played 29 minutes and made the most out of every second. He recorded 10 points and grabbed four rebounds. Those numbers helped the Grizzlies stay afloat.
This was not the first time LeBron James saw GG Jackson play. Apparently, the Lakers star already saw the writings on the wall when the Grizzlies rookie was still in high school and college.
“I had the opportunity to watch him live at Peach Jam a couple of years ago, playing for Team CP3. You know, I feel like he was one of the best players at Peach Jam. He bypassed his senior year and went straight to South Carolina, right? He was ready to go to the college ranks, he was teammates with my nephew, Meechie Johnson, there. So, I got the opportunity to watch him a lot there. He's gotten better and better every time he stepped out on the floor,” James declared.
The two will still have a few years to match up against each other. Hopefully, Jackson will be the one who takes the win when the time comes as well.
Lakers suffocate the Grizzlies
Without Anthony Davis, it was not James who led the Lakers to their seventh win in their last 10 games. Instead, Rui Hachimura lit up by knocking down 11 out of 14 field goal attempts and three out of four free throws for 32 points. His production may have been enough to bury the Taylor Jenkins' squad but other members of the Lakers still put up big numbers.
The King recorded an insane triple-double with 23 points, 12 assists, and 14 rebounds. D'Angelo Russell was also money on the shots he hit so he was able to bring 23 points to the table. Four other members of the Lakers managed to score in double digits. They all combined for 56 points.
There are still a lot of things to fix in the Lakers system before the postseason commences. They need to prevent opponents from getting offensive rebounds. The Grizzlies notched 13 of them in this game. Moreover, their ball handling and ability to open up passing lanes should be better. The ball got stolen away from them 10 times and they were also forced to commit 15 turnovers.
A concern when The Brow is out is their interior presence on offense. The Lakers only managed to score 42 points in the paint which is already good but could be better.
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