Memphis Grizzlies: 3 takeaways from first 2 weeks of 2018-19 season

3. Jaren Jackson Jr. belongs in the starting lineup

Due to JaMychal Green‘s untimely injury that saw him suffer a broken jaw in the home opener, the Grizzlies elected to shift Jackson into the starting lineup. Most top five rookies start for their teams, but the Grizz had some depth so they could’ve afforded to wait on Jackson if that was the case. Since suiting up with the starting five, Jackson has been nothing less than phenomenal. He’s averaging 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 25.0 minutes per contest.

In his best performance against the Atlanta Hawks, he scored a career-high 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded two blocks.

If this can become a normal occurrence, Memphis will have another star on its hands. The rookie big man has all the tools to become a successful player in this league. Jaren Jackson Jr. is in a perfect situation with the Grizzlies and he will be making his name known league-wide sooner rather than later.