Grizzlies: 3 huge implications of Jaren Jackson Jr.’s $105M extension

Implication No. 1: The Memphis Grizzlies believe in Jaren Jackson Jr.’s health

One of the biggest holdups with Jaren Jackson Jr.’s contract was the fact that the Grizzly forward has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. Most recently, he only played in 11 regular-season games this past season with a meniscus injury that required surgery.

In reality, though, Jackson’s injury history is often overexaggerated. During his time in college at Michigan State, he didn’t struggle with any injuries. In the NBA, he has only had two injuries, neither of which were overly serious.

His missed time, while it has been a lot, is more of a sign that Memphis wants to play it safe with injuries. Still, in the early stages of a rebuild, there’s no reason to force JJJ into playing before he’s fully recovered. For some fans, this has been translated into the fact that Jackson can’t get healthy, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

The fact that Memphis gave JJJ this deal proves, above all else, that they believe Jackson can stay healthy through the end of this contract.

For the first time since his rookie season, we’ll get a chance to see JJJ play for (hopefully) a full 82-game slate.