Jaren Jackson Jr. has been a polarizing name in NBA circles and within the Memphis Grizzlies fanbase this year. He had the best season of his career, which had him as a favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year at one point, and a high probability to make an All-NBA team, which would've qualified him to sign a supermax extension of $345 million over five years.
However, with a higher level of play and responsibility comes more criticism of the things he doesn't do well. While Ja Morant has gotten the most talk about players under the most pressure as the Grizzlies' best player, Jaren Jackson Jr. is on par with the same kind of pressure after the team traded Desmond Bane this offseason.
Jaren is now the highest-paid player on the team after signing a five-year, $240 million extension this offseason, so look for him to continue developing into one of the NBA's best all-around players as he enters his prime years.
Jackson Jr. ranked 6th on NBA's top defenders list
On Sam Vecenie's Game Theory Podcast, he and Bryce Simon ranked the NBA's top eight defenders and included Jackson Jr. at sixth on the list, ahead of his rivals Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a former Defensive Player of the Year winner who has been mostly known for his elite shot blocking.
However, Grizzlies fans have known Jaren to be their best all-around defender whom they can depend on to defend on the perimeter whenever he is switched onto a guard. He operates as the Grizzlies' basketball version of a free safety from football, as the last line of defense who can roam around the court as a help defender and can recover to another side to defend the rim.
His potential, which made him the number four overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, stemmed from the defensive side, and he has made strides to develop into a defensive force. Now, his offensive game has caught up to make him one of the better two-way players in the entire NBA.
Jaren Jackson Jr. deserved every dime he got this offseason when the Grizzlies prioritized getting him extended before becoming one of the top unrestricted free agents next offseason. His foul issues and lack of defensive rebounding are still desired qualities, but if he can remain elite in what he has already excelled at, improvements in those areas will likely come naturally over time.