Saturday marked the opening day of the 2023 FIBA World Cup and, as expected, Team USA put forth a strong showing against New Zealand. That said, even with their highly regarded production, perhaps the biggest surprise of the exhibition came in the form of a foul-out performance by the club’s focal point pivot and Memphis Grizzlies star, Jaren Jackson Jr.
Despite being the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, the 23-year-old was a hacking machine during his first go at meaningful action during this summer’s tournament and, as a result, was held to a mere 16 minutes played.
Interestingly enough, the big man has apparently found himself in foul trouble quite often during this year’s World Cup play, as fellow Team USA standout and Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards suggested in a post-game interview with Joe Viray of SB Nation that they have been vocal about their desires to see Jackson cut down on the miscues.
Team USA has hounded Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. about foul troubles
"“We get on him all the time about fouling,” Edwards said. “We trying to keep him out of foul trouble cause we know we gonna need him.”"
Despite these blunders, Edwards would continue on to sing the Grizzlies cornerstone’s praises by labeling him as arguably the most important asset the United States has on their roster.
"“He’s super important to the team. He might be the most important piece actually,” Edwards said."
.@jarenjacksonjr let everyone know 𝗵𝗲'𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 at Team USA training camp.@MyMikeCheck has more from practice ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/GyeJDaDGC6
— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) August 5, 2023
Fortunately, Jackson’s foul troubles didn’t wind up negatively impacting the game’s final outcome for Team USA, as they went on to claim a decisive 99-72 win over Team New Zealand while the big man posted the third-highest scoring output on the club with 12 to go along with four rebounds.
JJJ, Ant, and the rest of the Gold-hopeful United States will be suiting up for game number two on Monday morning against Team Greece.
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