Memphis Grizzlies: The best young core in the NBA

Jaren Jackson Jr.

After his undoubtedly impressive rookie year, Jaren Jackson Jr. has become a premier player for the Grizzlies, yet he has a lot of room for improvement. After coming out of Michigan State, Jackson has lived up to the potential, even if there have been a few bumps in the road.

So far this season, Jaren Jackson Jr has averaged 17.1 points per game, while grabbing around 4.8 rebounds per game. Jackson Jr has also been active on the defensive end, tallying up 1.7 blocks per game. His shooting has been on the low side for his size and position, only averaging 46.8 percent from the floor, but that’s largely due to his volume of 3-point shooting. He’s shooting 39.7 percent from behind the arc and has a stellar effective field goal percentage of 56.3 percent.

Jackson Jr., unfortunately, had an injury issue, which resulted in him only playing 58 games last season, although he has been healthy all year. What makes it more impressive, is the fact that Jackson Jr. is only 20 years old. The only issue for Jackson Jr. is that his potential has been stunted, with a lot of fans expecting him to become a 20-plus point per game player.

The addition of Ja Morant on the roster has proved successful, as Jackson Jr. and Morant have formed a duo that is expected to be successful in the coming seasons.