Kendrick Perkins went off on Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. the day after Memphis' 131-80 Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Western Conference's No. 8 seed was embarrassed on Sunday while the Thunder looked every bit the 68-win team they were during the regular season. And OKC did this even with likely MVP point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring just 15 points. It was a strict reality check for a Memphis team that had been showing some encouraging form since the firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins.
In a segment of NBA Today, Perkins ranted about Jackson Jr.'s four-point, three-rebound performance against the Thunder. The former NBA center offered a hot take during his tirade that is sure to rile up Grizzlies fans.
“[Jaren Jackson Jr.] is the most overhyped player in this league. He's not even a top 10 big in my eyes.”
Kendrick Perkins had STRONG words for Jaren Jackson Jr. After his Game 1 performance 👀
(via @ESPNNBA)
pic.twitter.com/dTx8hqNfr7— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 21, 2025
The Grizzlies need to match their opponent's energy in Game 2





The Grizzlies were overwhelmed by the Thunder's depth and energy on Sunday and lost every matchup across the board. That included Jaren Jackson Jr., who could not match the activity of OKC bigs Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. While Shai is the focal point of the offense, he has plenty of help on this stacked young roster that looks like it's on a vengeance tour after last year's second-round elimination. OKC is a true juggernaut in every sense of the word.
The Grizzlies, however, can put up a much better resistance in Game 2, and they will. The only player on the roster who had a decent game was backup big Marvin Bagley III. Memphis has demonstrated its ability to compete with any team in the Western Conference when everybody is engaged, even against a formidable opponent like the Thunder.
Overall, it's just one game. With the elimination-type clashes Memphis has played recently, it was going to be a tall task to win Game 1 of this series. But losing like this and Perkins' take on Jackson Jr. is going to test this team's heart right now. Win or lose, the Grizzlies need to go out on their shield on Tuesday. And even though he's not 100%, Ja Morant knows he's better than this, and so does the rest of this squad. It's time to punch back.