Memphis Grizzlies: What if Jaren Jackson Jr. never got hurt?

What if Memphis Grizzlies F Jaren Jackson Jr. never got injured?

At this point in the year, you have a Memphis Grizzlies team that has exceeded all expectations and finds itself in the 8th seed of the Western Conference. They have a solid four-game cushion before they’re knocked out of the play-in conversation.

But if Jaren Jackson Jr. were in the lineup, that wouldn’t be the primary conversation. Instead, we’d be talking about how this Grizzlies team could achieve, or even better — hold onto a confirmed playoff spot as the 6th seed.

It’s impossible to say how much, but there’s no way that this team wouldn’t be better without their young star in the lineup. That said, how much better is it fair to assume?

Even though there’s no way to quantify it, you’d have to assume that the Grizzlies could have closed out a few of their close losses. In fact, Memphis has dropped quite a few winnable games this season, with one of them coming on Friday night against the Knicks.

For the sake of an easy argument, let’s say Jaren Jackson Jr. changes the results of every game that the Grizzlies lost by less than 5 points. That’s 7 games on the year. If the tide was to be turned in these matchups, the Grizzlies would be sitting at 33-17, competing for a top seed in the West.

Now, obviously, that’s a big jump, but even if the tide turned on just a couple of those matchups, the Grizzlies are looking at a guaranteed playoff spot rather than staring down the barrel of another early elimination.