The Memphis Grizzlies played nearly an entire regular season without Jaren Jackson Jr., the second-most talented player on the team and a defensive guru.
His return was hyped up as something that could turn this Grizzlies team into a threat in the Western Conference, as they were playing winning basketball without a guy who was unanimously considered the second option on the team.
But JJJ returned to the lineup and played just under a dozen games to finish off the regular season. And if we’re being honest, he didn’t really look like himself quite yet.
He has looked physically comfortable out on the court — the Grizzlies’ training staff made that possible by holding him out for nearly double the time expected for a meniscus injury. But while he has looked physically capable, the young forward has been off in every other category.
His long-range shots aren’t dropping. His drives to the basket have largely resulted in layup attempts that miss by a hair. He has been getting pushed around defensively. He hasn’t looked like the player Grizzlies fans are used to seeing.
Ja Morant has been playing basketball without his sidekick at 100%.
And even though Memphis is in such an important series, his gradual adjustments toward getting back to 100% should not be looked at as red flags. Among all else, the important thing is that he is just as capable physically, which looks to be the case thus far.
Memphis Grizzlies fans need to be patient with Jaren Jackson Jr.
At this point, all Grizzlies fans can do is wait. We’ve all seen what he’s capable of on the floor — he’s a unicorn. There isn’t another player with his skill set in the league. Even though he hasn’t been consistent this season thus far, we’ve seen flashes of this in 2021.
In all likelihood, though, he won’t be the player that we know he can be until the 2021-22 season. And that’s okay.
JJJ was always looked at as a long-term project. The meniscus surgery may have added a little length to that project, but is there anybody in Grind City that doesn’t believe that he can be a star one day?
It would be nice to have him back to normal but at the moment, that’s just not entirely realistic.