5 fast facts about GG Jackson's first season with Grizzlies after All-Rookie selection

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

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.

Fact No. 4) Only selected rookie with sub-50 games

As mentioned earlier, at the start of the season GG Jackson was attached to a two-way contract, which is a deal that limits players to just 50 total games played in the NBA and has them spending the majority of their time suiting up in the G-League as a way for them to hone their craft.

Because of this, through January 7 the forward was held to just four outings played with the varsity team and saw a lowly 18 minutes played during this particular stretch.

It wasn't until January 13 that Jackson finally received ample run within coach Taylor Jenkins' rotation, and, from then on out, he suited up for 42 of his 48 overall games played on the year and turned himself into a future building block for this Grizzlies squad.

With this, he is the only player selected to either one of this season's All-Rookie teams to have logged fewer than 50 contests played.

Had he seen more, there's a strong case to be made that he may have qualified for a First-Team nod.

Fact No. 3) Youngest NBA player to drop 25 or more points off bench

Before establishing himself as a consistent starter late in the season, Jackson was utilized as a second-unit commodity for most of the first two months of the 2024 calendar year.

In such a role, he proved to be quite effective, particularly as a scoring weapon, and averaged 13.3 points on 37.0 percent shooting from distance dating from January 13 to March 6 while coming off the pine.

During this stretch, the rookie would not only shine bright in the eyes of Grizzlies, but within the league's record books as well, as his 27-point outing against the Chicago Bulls on February 8 made him the youngest player in NBA history (19 years, 53 days old) to score 25 or more points off the bench, a mark that previously belonged to the late, great Kobe Bryant.

He accomplished such a feat while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from distance.

Fact No. 2) Finished fourth among rookies in points per game

As alluded to already, Jackson's main attribute showcased during his rookie campaign was his scoring expertise, as he proved to be not only one of the top offensive weapons on the Grizzlies in 2023-24 but, frankly, one of the best among his entire rookie class.

With his average of 14.6 points per game, Jackson finished fourth among his class in points per game, trailing only Victor Wembanyama (21.4), Brandon Miller (17.3), and Chet Holmgren (16.5), all of whom saw more minutes on average and were top-three selections in their respective classes.

What's perhaps even more impressive is the fact that he ranked seventh among his rookie peers in total points (699) despite seeing 14 fewer games than the player directly above him in the category, Scoot Henderson (logged 868 points in 62 games).

Fact No. 1) Youngest player in the NBA during 2023-24 season

Though this factoid may have been discussed ad nauseam throughout the 2023-24 season, the fact that he was the youngest player in the entire association cannot be overlooked.

While his bubbly personality may scream adolescence, his on-court production does anything but.

Of all players who saw 40 or more games played, Jackson ranked third on the Grizzlies in points, second in three-point percentage (35.7), and third in overall usage.

Tabbed as "the best-looking prospect" the Grizzlies have seen since selecting Ja Morant second overall back in 2019, the idea that Jackson has already shown so much potential and promise and will still be just 19 years of age at the start of his sophomore season is truly astonishing, and should make all of Grind City nation excited to see what could be to come for the youngster as his career progresses.