Memphis Grizzlies: 5 reasons Jaren Jackson Jr. was a bad pick
By Amaar Burton
4. The Syracuse game
Maybe it’s wrong to put so much weight on one game. But Jackson only gave us a sample of one season (35 games) on which to evaluate his pro potential, and this one game stands out for the wrong reasons.
In Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament second round matchup with underdog Syracuse, Jackson was just plain bad. In 15 minutes of court time, he grabbed eight rebounds, but he also had more fouls (three) than points (two), he shot 0-for-4 from the field and had just one assist. Michigan State lost.
In what was the biggest game on the biggest stage of his nascent career, Jackson left a big stinker on the floor. I don’t think any of this draft’s top 10 picks had a worse single-game performance than Jackson had against the Orange.
That may not bode well for his future in the NBA, where he’ll ultimately be judged on how he performs when the lights are brightest and the competition is toughest.