Jaren Jackson Jr.: The Heartbeat of the Hurt Grizzlies!

Ja Morant, the star of the Memphis Grizzlies, has suffered an injury this season. Also, guys like Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, GG Jackson, and Vince Williams Jr. can't play every night. This has pressured rookie Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells to step up big and be key factors in their offense. The same goes for role players like Scottie Pippen Jr. and Santi Aldama. They have stepped up and scored. One player who has been huge for Memphis is Jaren Jackson Jr. He has helped on both ends of the court. Despite losing both his co-stars, he has led the Grizzlies to wins. Leading the team on both sides of the court. Jaren Jackson Jr. has been one of the most underrated players this season.

Jaren Jackson Jr. has been one of the best big-man defenders in the league since getting drafted in 2018. He even earned himself the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. Establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the league. He is incredible at altering shots at the rim. JJJ is a great help defender, as he can clean up the other defender's mistakes. Even being a good perimeter defender, which makes it hard for guards to get to the basket. Jackson Jr. excels at reading plays. He steals and creates possessions for the Grizzlies. Jaren is now known as one of the league's best defenders. But his offense has been incredible this season.

On the offensive end, Jaren Jackson Jr. has been awesome. Losing two star players, Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, should have doomed the Grizzlies. But JJJ has done a great job of becoming the leader of the organization. Jackson Jr. has been awesome at creating his shot this year. He has done a lot of ball-handling for the team. His ability to drive and finish at the rim is incredible. His floaters are hard to block. Jaren has been great at shooting behind the three-point line. Having a league average of 35 percent. Even becoming a great spot-up shooter for Memphis. Opening up the game for other players to thrive and even drive to the basket. Jaren Jackson Jr. is talented on both ends of the court. But he has developed some bad habits that have hurt him.

 There have been a lot of bad habits in Jaren Jackson Jr.'s game. One of the negative aspects of his game has been his foul troubles. There are a lot of moments where Jaren Jackson Jr. has had a good game but has had to sit out due to foul trouble. Jaren Jackson Jr.'s fifth foul, he had to sit. The Los Angeles Lakers then went on a 10-2 run to win. For a game so winnable, it was a shame that JJJ had to sit out. It has been a problem since he came into the league in seven years, along with his rebounding problems.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the worst rebounders in the league. For a player that is 6'10" and has a 7'4" wingspan, one would imagine he would always crash the boards. But for Jaren, that has not been the case. Instead, he has been awful at crashing the boards. Averaging only 6 rebounds per game is an embarrassment. There is no excuse for that, and it has stopped the big man from being a top 20ish player. Memphis Grizzles made moves like drafting Zach Edey to hide his weaknesses. But despite JJJ's weakness, there have been a lot of positives in his game.

This year's All-Star conversation is stacked. Despite Zion Williamson and Chet Holmgren missing parts of the season. So, the All-Star big man debate has been tough. It is a given that Nikola Jokic will be an All-Star, but the West has a lot of talent. With players like Randle, Sabonis, and Wembanyama, they deserve All-Star votes. Jaren Jackson Jr. is one player who belongs in the conversation. JJJ has been awesome at leading the Grizzlies in scoring. He is also the team's defensive anchor. Leading the Grizzlies with a 9-7 record. Even if his game is not all that flashy, Jackson Jr. has led the Grizzlies to success this year. Leading the hurt Grizzlies to a winning record. It will only be scary when Ja Morant comes back and Memphis could become a deep playoff team.

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