Though the Memphis Grizzlies endured one of their worst seasons in recent memory in 2023-24, finishing off with a putrid record of 27-55, one of the lone bright spots of the campaign was the impressive play of first-year forward GG Jackson.
Selected 45 overall during last June's NBA Draft, with his on-court productivity the 19-year-old quickly managed to work his way up from being considered a raw prospect to a legitimate long-term rotational staple.
In early February, the franchise showed that they took notice of his stellar on-court talents when they converted his two-way deal into a multi-year pact. Now, as of May 20, it appears the rest of the league and its associates have also acknowledged just how special of a player Jackson appears to be, as it was recently announced that he has been officially selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Grizzlies forward GG Jackson receives All-Rookie Second Team honors
The 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team:
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 20, 2024
▪️ Keyonte George of @utahjazz
▪️ GG Jackson II of @memgrizz
▪️ Dereck Lively II of @dallasmavs
▪️ Amen Thompson of @HoustonRockets
▪️ Cason Wallace of @okcthunder pic.twitter.com/1QaumdqzYo
To celebrate the youngster's well-deserved honoring, we present five fast and special facts that highlight exactly why Jackson's rookie season with the Grizzlies was so magical.
Fact No. 5) Only second-rounder on an All-Rookie team
Despite being a five-star recruit coming out of high school and being deemed the consensus best collegiate prospect for the 2023 recruiting class, GG Jackson ultimately found himself being snatched up by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second-round of the 2023 NBA Draft.
Of course, as we've come to realize over the years, where one's selected doesn't definitively say anything about their overall potential at the next level, as the South Carolina standout would consistently turn heads during his first-year campaign, even frequently drawing praise from some of the game's all-time legends such as LeBron James, who went on record to note that "since he's been playing he's gotten better and better."
These daily progressions ended up thrusting him onto the 2023- All-Rookie Second Team, which, excitingly enough, makes him the only selected talent to have come into the association as a non first-rounder.