Memphis Grizzlies: This would be the biggest mistake of the offseason
The Memphis Grizzlies are nearly finished with everything on their offseason checklist, with one notable exception— the rookie contract extension for Jaren Jackson, Jr. The team can wait up to one day prior to the regular season before signing him to an early extension.
The three-year Michigan State alum will be entering his age 22 season having played just 126 regular-season games in his career.
Jackson, Jr. has career averages of 15.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists per game. Additionally, he’s knocking down 37% of his three-point shots.
There’s talk around the league that the team could offer him the maximum allowed for a rookie extension— 25% of the team’s salary cap (projected to be $115.7 million in the 2022 season), according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. The team would likely be looking at giving Jaren Jackson, Jr. just under $120 million over 4 seasons.
If the Memphis Grizzlies sign Jaren Jackson Jr. to a max contract extension, it would be the biggest mistake of the offseason
A contract such as that would have years-long ramifications on the franchise and hinder the team’s ability to build a successful team around Ja Morant.
We just haven’t seen the kind of productivity and longevity out of Jackson, Jr. to warrant a huge long-term deal. As I mentioned earlier, Jackson, Jr. has played in 126 regular-season games during his first three seasons in the NBA. For those doing math at home, that means he’s only played in 53% of games in which he was eligible to compete.
For comparative purposes, Ja Morant has played in one less season than Jackson, Jr., but has appeared in more games than Jackson, Jr. (131 regular-season games).
We have yet to see if Jackson, Jr. can hold his own without the support of fellow big men Marc Gasol and Jonas Valanciunas. Gasol helped a rookie Jackson, Jr. get his bearings in the NBA before being traded and Valanciunas stepped up to carry the scoring and rebounding burden for the Memphis Grizzlies (mainly due to the injuries and missed games of Jackson, Jr.).
Looking at comparable NBA players in their first three seasons, you can see why it’s not such a clear decision to give Jackson, Jr. a max contract. Here’s a quick look at that.