Ja Morant was the Memphis Grizzlies' leading scorer against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday – but it was Jaren Jackson Jr. who stole the show.
JJJ finished just a point off Morant's total with a season-high 31 points on an extremely efficient 12 of 14 shooting. He also added 10 rebounds and a trio of swats. The Grizzlies' lead guard took notice, via Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian:
“It was definitely one of the most complete games I’ve seen him play,” Ja Morant said. “It helped us big time.”
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins echoed Morant's sentiments, noting that Jackson filled in every need the team had the entire night.
“He was a force on both sides,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Obviously, offensively scoring inside, scoring outside. I thought he set the tone for us blocking a number of shots. He really got rolling in that first quarter. And when we needed some crucial buckets, we put him in iso situations, post-up situations and he made great reads and great plays.”
Jackson plays the role of the modern big man to a tee, spacing the floor with a respectable three-pointer jump shot, running the break like a big wing, and protecting the rim like a true center.
The Memphis Grizzlies may be centered around Ja Morant. But how dangerous they become widely depends on sizable leaps from co-stars in Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Should their triumvirate all manage to reach the potential they've teased in their short span together, there's no ceiling for them once the postseason rolls around.
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