No. 2: Are the Memphis Grizzlies going to get Game1 Jaren or Game 2 Jaren?
Jaren Jackson Jr. looked unstoppable in Game 1 vs the Warriors, a development to which I cannot fully express how relieving it was for Grizzlies fans.
Jackson had an absolutely pitiful first-round series vs Minnesota in which he couldn’t stay on the floor and struggled offensively (11.8 ppg, 5.2 fouls per game).
Luckily for Grizzlies fans, Jaren Jackson Jr. stepped up in a major way in the first game for Memphis. He exploited the mismatch and Golden State couldn’t keep him contained.
Game 1 vs Golden State: 33 points, 10 rebounds, 1 block, and 3 fouls in 31 minutes
Game 2 vs Golden State: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 6 fouls in 29 minutes
There was quite a bit of drop-off in Game 2, but perhaps that’s because Ja Morant had the hot hand for Memphis, pouring in 47 points.
Will the aggressive or regressive Jaren show up for Game 3?
No. 1: Will the Memphis Grizzlies be able to adapt without Dillon Brooks?
The elephant in the room will be the absence of Dillon Brooks, who is serving his one-game suspension given to him by the NBA for the flagrant-2 foul against Gary Payton II.
The hard foul, as we all have likely heard by now, resulted in Payton fracturing his elbow. It’s a very unfortunate situation and you can understand the frustration from Golden State, but Brooks was in no way trying to harm Payton.
Brooks missed most of Game 2 after he was ejected roughly three minutes into the game and the Grizzlies handled themselves ok.
The Grizzlies were able to make adjustments on the fly, can they do it with a few days worth of prep?