Memphis Grizzlies: 3 takeaways from Jaren Jackson Jr.’s debut

The Memphis Grizzlies took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night without a key big man in Jonas Valanciunas. That said, the basketball gods evened things out, giving them the return of Jaren Jackson Jr.

JJJ’s return has been long-awaited, so it was an extremely exciting game to watch for Grizzlies fans, even with a loss.

Jackson’s return saw him record 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

There were positives and negatives, but let’s get right into his performance on Wednesday night. Here are 3 takeaways from Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 2020-21 debut for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies F Jaren Jackson Jr.’s saw limited time in his debut

As expected, Jaren Jackson Jr. wasn’t a key part of the Memphis Grizzlies’ lineup on Wednesday night. He gave Taylor Jenkins some good minutes on the court, but he was only out there for (minutes) minutes.

It didn’t help that he found himself in foul trouble throughout the game, which we’ll get into later. This was another expected hiccup in his re-acclimation to the team and something that will hopefully improve moving forward.

His role will increase the more he plays, but for now, we’ll have to watch this team play a lot of basketball with a healthy JJJ on the bench. Painful, but necessary.

It’s the same thing that happened with Justise Winslow’s return. Winslow hardly played in his first few games but has become a crucial part of the rotation as he has settled in. Expect the same treatment with JJJ’s return from injury.