After trading for Marcus Smart the night before the 2023 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies only came away from the annual festivities with two second-round sections this year. The two Grizzlies draft picks were South Carolina forward Gregory “GG” Jackson (No. 45) and Bosnian wing Tarik Biberovic from Fenerbahce in Turkey (No. 56). And that first pick, taking Jackson, was the team’s best move of this year’s NBA Draft.

The best move of the Grizzlies' 2023 NBA Draft was taking GG Jackson in the second round

GG Jackson was one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2023 NBA Draft. The South Carolina native was the No. 1 high school recruit in the country for the Class of 2023. However, after committing and recommitting to North Carolina, he reclassified to the Class of 2022 and signed with the South Carolina Gamecocks ahead of last season.

Jackson’s season in Columbia didn’t go that well.

Yes, he led the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game, but the Gamecocks finished the campaign 11-21. Jackson also got benched at times and took shots at his coach, LaMont Paris, on Instagram Live after a loss to Arkansas.

All this drama led to Jackson declaring for the NBA draft after one season, despite the fact that the rawness of his game and the obvious maturity issues made him slide from a presumed 2024 lottery pick to a 2023 second-rounder.

He then became a Grizzlies draft pick on Thursday, which many will say makes no sense. Of all the franchises in the NBA, the one that can least afford to take a prospect with “maturity issues” right now is Memphis.

That said, GG Jackson is still an immense talent with loads of potential, and his maturity problems are different than Ja Morant and Dillion Brooks’ issues.

On the maturity front, Jackson entered college at a 17-year-old and was the youngest prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft at just 18 years, 6 months old. Plus, his bad body language and social media faux pas were related to basketball and wanting to win, not waving guns or needlessly trash-talking one of the all-time greats.

Even Coach Paris, who was often at odds with his young star at South Carolina, speaks highly of Jackson’s overall character.

“When (NBA teams) asked me, I talked about who he is as a person, and he’s a superstar as a person, to be honest. I always tell them, if you draft him, and the basketball works out the way I think it’ll work out, you’ll have a superstar on your hands.” Paris told The State newspaper in Columbia. “He’s a great guy. His teammates like him. He’s super talented as a person. He plays drums. He sings.”

Becoming a pro at 18 could go south quickly for a person as young as Jackson. But hopefully, the Grizzlies have learned their lesson and will put a solid group around him — both on and off the court — to navigate the next step of his basketball journey.

As for Jackson, he is also saying all the right things after going from No. prospect to second-round pick in the course of a year.

“I want to apologize for how I acted at times towards my teammates and coaches,” Jackson said right after he became a Grizzly. “I want people to know that wasn’t me. That’s big-headed GG. I’m little-headed GG now.”

And while he may be “little-headed GG,” he’s still big-bodied GG on the court. At 6-foot-9, Jackson is an active offensive player who is excellent at finishing around the rim. He’s also a solid shooter who could become a 3-point threat if he can extend his range. He’s also a naturally gifted and incredibly competitive defender who has elite defensive potential at the next level.

Remember, Jackson was supposed to be entering college this fall, not the NBA. He still has a lot of growing to do, and a lot of time to do it. It may take some time, but the Grizzlies may have taken an incredibly high-level 3-and-D wing 40 or so picks later than he would have gone in 2024.

And if GG Jackson does become that type of player, he will be incredible playing the 4 next to Jaren Jackson Jr. or the 3 with Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams. GG’s defensive skills could help Memphis become Grit and Grind 2.0 in the coming years.

In the end, it’s a polarizing Grizzlies draft pick to take a player with maturity issues right now. However, (hopefully) the team did its research, is comfortable with where GG Jackson is a person and a player, and took a calculated risk that could pay off huge.