Memphis Grizzlies: 3 changes to expect in Jaren Jackson Jr.’s return

Memphis Grizzlies Jaren Jackson Jr. could bring more fouls to Beale Street

Sorry to end on a sour note here, but this is an important part of Jaren Jackson Jr.’s game that we should not forget. He fouls… a lot. It’s something that he has been working on throughout his career, seeing extremely marginal improvements in fouls per 36 minutes.

When I say marginal, I mean marginal. Here are his per 36-minute foul numbers between his two seasons in the league.

2018-19: 5.2

2019-20: 5.1

Yeah, not so promising.

The reason that I bring this up in relation to his return to the court is that fouls may see an uptick for the Grizzlies to finish out the 2020-21 season. Specifically, Jackson Jr. will likely commit a lot of fouls early in his return to the court.

Energy-wise, he’ll be at an all-time high. But he may have forgotten how to control his body and how to manipulate NBA referees in his extended absence.

Fortunately for Memphis, this should only be a temporary thing. Once he gets settled back in, expect his foul numbers to return to a comfortable 4.1 fouls per game. That’s a joke, 4.1 is a high number.

Seriously though, his fouling is an easy trade-off for the defensive boost that he will bring to this Grizzlies team. Expect a net positive in a huge way for the second-youngest team in the NBA.