3 Takeaways from Jaren Jackson Jr. at Memphis Grizzlies Media Day

Is Jaren concerned about missing time to improve his game this offseason?

A huge storyline for Jaren Jackson Jr. last season was his availability.

He played in a career-high 78 games, and played in all 12 of the Grizzlies playoff games as well. This was a huge milestone for Jaren, as he had never surpassed playing more than 58 games in a regular season and was starting to get the “can’t stay healthy” tag amongst fans and members of the media.

Now, insert the foot injury he sustained this offseason. It had to be disappointing for Jackson, as he was slated to have a full offseason to progress in shooting the ball more efficiently amongst other aspects of his game.

When asked about whether the injury derailed his spirits and whether he was worried about missing an offseason to develop, Jackson Jr. stated:

"“I was definitely disappointed with my foot in general, but I still got to work on my body a ton which I knew I was going to do anyway. Before that I was able to get skill work in and then when I get back out there now I’m able to do it too. There’s that gap in between for sure, but I’ve worked on my mind, my body, all types of stuff. I’m not worried about it at all.” “I was definitely disappointed with my foot in general, but I still got to work on my body a ton which I knew I was going to do anyway. Before that I was able to get skill work in and then when I get back out there now I’m able to do it too. There’s that gap in between for sure, but I’ve worked on my mind, my body, all types of stuff. I’m not worried about it at all.”"

He also added that he feels like players get a lot better as they work out during the actual season, especially the Grizzlies with how much they workout and can’t stay out of the gym.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is not worried about missing time this offseason to develop, so neither should you. Expect Jaren to take another leap once he returns from injury in 2022-23.