Memphis Grizzlies: 5 big questions for the 2020-21 season

2. Can Jaren Jackson Jr. stay on the court?

Amid all the excitement from Memphis’ breakout season, a rather large elephant in the room went curiously ignored.

Jaren Jackson Jr, after playing in only 58 games as a rookie, missed another 16 in a shortened season. He tore his meniscus in the bubble’s third contest, which will in turn cost him the early part of the upcoming season.

Now, don’t panic, we’re miles from the point of having to label Jackson an injury bust. But only an ignorant optimist would suggest there’s absolutely no cause for concern.

Two seasons is two seasons – it’s a relatively small sample. Plenty of stars – from Bradley Beal to Steph Curry – have overcome early-career injury troubles. Not being a doctor, I won’t speculate on how likely Jackson is to reverse the trend, but regardless of sample, let’s admit: it’s a trend.

Once Jackson returns healthy, he’ll have yet another obstacle keeping him off the court: his utter inability to not foul people.

Triple J led the NBA in fouls per game by a comfortable margin last year at 4.07 (Dillon Brooks, unfortunately, also ranked third), after tying for the league lead as a rookie. Foul trouble played a large part in limiting his minutes to a paltry 28.5 per game.

Jackson needs some refinement before chasing his ceiling as the prototype for a neo-uber-defender big. Despite his undeniable gifts, his timing and judgment can be off. This will improve with experience; remember, he’s barely 21.

But with Jackson’s immense potential comes immense expectation, and he showed little development as a sophomore defender. For every block he had, there were over two fouls, many of them reckless.

Caught between two issues severely limiting his playing time, let’s consider it a relief if Jackson gets either under control this season.