Memphis Grizzlies: 3 storylines that will come to an apex in final stretch

Memphis Grizzlies story No. 1: Jaren Jackson Jr.’s recovery

While Morant is the future of the Grizzlies, no man is an island. He’s going to need a sidekick to get Memphis where they want to go. All indications have pointed towards Jaren Jackson Jr. being the next primary weapon for the team.

That plan was dealt a major setback last year. On August 4, Jackson suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee. The injury forced him to miss the rest of action in the bubble, as well as the first handful of months of the 2020-21 season.

Jackson made his season debut on April 21. He showed plenty during that opening game against the LA Clippers, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds in just 18 minutes.

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The following game, Jackson put up his best performance of his young season, scoring 23 points in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He also grabbed his only steal of the season so far in that game and committed a season-low four fouls (which isn’t saying much, but still).

Jackson has played in four games this season, never scoring less than ten points in any of those contests. He’s averaging 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He’s noticeably struggling from three-point distance, though, trying to shake off the rust with a 19.0 percent conversion rate so far.

The Grizzlies have also been resting Jackson on and off since his return. The team will obviously want him to contribute in the postseason, but they’ll shut him down the second there’s a setback. His status throughout the last few weeks needs to be monitored.