Memphis Grizzlies: Did Jaren Jackson Jr. grow since last season?

The Memphis Grizzlies played without Jaren Jackson Jr. for almost the entire 2020-21 season. His return seemed like it was never going to happen, but with a handful of games remaining on the schedule, it finally happened.

In his first couple of games, there have been plenty of things that stuck out. First of all, he hasn’t missed a beat as a shot-blocker, knocking away 5 shots in his first two games back from injury. He has also been playing with an unexpected level of aggressiveness, with no signs that he’s afraid of reinjury.

This applies to both ends of the court. Speaking of which, JJJ didn’t hasn’t missed a beat on the offensive end, scoring 15 and 23 points respectively between his first couple of outings with limited minutes played.

Defensively he has been good, but his offensive production has come as a huge surprise. To go along with those shooting totals, Jackson Jr. has scored on 14 of his 25 shots, including a 10-14 performance with a pair of dagger free throws against the Trail Blazers on Friday.

Memphis Grizzlies F Jaren Jackson Jr. has brought a physical presence to the floor

Perhaps the most notable part of his game has been the physical presence he has brought to the floor. With Jonas Valanciunas out of the game, the Grizzlies have been playing equally as aggressive down low, even if their defense had a rough couple of games.

But Jackson Jr. looks slightly different out there on the court. He doesn’t necessarily look stronger, but many fans speculate that he has actually grown a little bit in his absence.

This isn’t a ridiculous claim, as Jackson Jr. is only 21 years old. Men often continue to grow all the way through the age of 25, so it’s entirely possible that JJJ added half of an inch or so during his recovery.

If this is the case, one of the Grizzlies’ best weapons may have become even more dangerous.

NBA-listed heights and weights are notoriously inaccurate, so in all likelihood, we’ll never get a true answer on this, but Jackson Jr. could be a seriously dangerous weapon at 7-feet tall. Who knows, maybe his body is filling out to his 7’4″ wingspan.

JJJ still has room to fill out, but Grizzlies fans will find no complaints in seeing their young forward continue to grow vertically. JJJ is already a near-perfect prospect from a height and skill standpoint, so teams should be on watch if he continues to add inches.