Top 5 former Memphis Grizzlies players around the NBA this season

Former Memphis Grizzlies player No. 5: Josh Jackson, SG, Detroit Pistons

Josh Jackson has done okay in the NBA. Many fans expected him to become much more due to being selected number four overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2017 NBA Draft. However, this has not necessarily been the case for Jackson.

In his rookie season, he went on to average 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1 steal, and 0.5 blocks per game, while slashing 42/26/63. Now, those are by no means horrible numbers, not great, but not horrible. The only downside is he hasn’t made any significant improvements to any part of his game.

After his second season in Phoenix, in which he showed little to no improvement, he was shipped off to Memphis along with current Grizzly De’Anthony Melton.

Jackson spent time in both the NBA and the G-League while in Memphis and ended up playing only 22 games that season. Despite his past struggles, he played fairly well in Memphis. Working with only 17.3 minutes per game, he averaged 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

For the Grizzlies, that wasn’t enough to keep him around. Jackson hit free agency after the 2019-20 season and ended up signing a two-year, $19 million contract with the Detroit Pistons. Through 32 games this season, in 24.9 minutes per game, Jackson is averaging 13.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks, slashing 43/29/69.

These numbers aren’t eye-popping, but Jackson is playing at a high enough level to make his way into fifth in the Grizzlies’ best players around the NBA.