Tag: Memphis Grizzlies

Former Spartan Jackson drops 29 in Summer League debut

Associated Press

Jaren Jackson Jr.’s summer league debut couldn’t have gone much better.

The same can’t be said for Trae Young.

Jackson, the fourth pick in the NBA draft, outshined No. 5 overall pick Young in their first NBA action. The 6-foot-10 Jackson had 29 points and shot 8-of-13 from 3-point range to help the Memphis Grizzlies beat Young’s Atlanta Hawks 103-88 on Monday night in Salt Lake City.

Jackson hit his first two 3-pointers and was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first half, including a buzzer-beater from midcourt to give his team a 47-41 lead. The 18-year-old Jackson showed the shooting stroke that made him a 40 percent 3-point shooter in college and scored 12 straight points during one stretch in the fourth quarter to help the Grizzlies pull away.

“I definitely felt hot at different spots during the game. If kind of felt surreal a little bit,” said Jackson, the team’s highest-drafted player since Hasheem Thabeet, who was No. 2 in 2009.

While Jackson was doing just about everything right, Young was having a miserable debut.

Young, who averaged 27.4 points last season for Oklahoma, missed all nine shot attempts in the first half, including six 3-pointers. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year, whose draft rights were swapped with the Dallas Mavericks for No. 3 pick Luka Doncic, struggled to recover after air balls on his first two shots and finished with 16 points on 4 of 20 shooting.

He was 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.

GRIZZLIES 103, HAWKS 88

Kobi Simmons had 19 of his 21 points in the first half and finished 8-of-13 from the field for the Grizzlies, while second-round pick Jevon Carter chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds.

Tyler Dorsey led the Hawks with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Omari Spellman, one of Atlanta’s three first-round draft picks, had a solid showing with 11 points and six rebounds. Their other first-round pick, Kevin Huerter, did not play because of a wrist injury.

JAZZ 92, SPURS 76

Georges Niang scored 17 points, while first-round draft pick Grayson Allen had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Jazz. Tony Bradley had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Derrick White led the Spurs with 22 points and seven rebounds.

San Antonio’s top draft pick, Lonnie Walker IV, struggled in his debut, limited to seven points while shooting 3-of-16 from the field.

WARRIORS 79, HEAT 68

Kendrick Nunn had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Warriors in a game played in Sacramento, California.

Warriors first-round draft pick Jacob Evans did not play because of a bruised toe sustained in practice last week.

Derrick Jones Jr. had a big game for Miami with 24 points and 11 rebounds, including a monster two-hand dunk after slashing down the lane. Bam Adebayo added 14 points and 14 rebounds.

KINGS 98, LAKERS 93

Marvin Bagley III showed why he was the No. 2 pick, turning in a strong debut with 18 points and six rebounds for Sacramento on the Kings’ home floor.

Harry Giles made a successful debut after being held out of last season with knee injuries. Giles, the 20th overall pick in 2017, was 6-of-10 from the field and finished with 13 points and three rebounds.

De’Aaron Fox had 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Frank Mason III had 16 points, including a key 3-pointer late to help seal the win.

Josh Hart had 23 points for the Lakers before being ejected from the game with 1:04 left and his team trailing by four after picking up his second technical for disputing a call. Rookie Moritz Wagner had 23 points and seven rebounds.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23981528/jaren-jackson-jr-memphis-grizzlies-scores-29-summer-league-debut

Top photo: Rick Bowmer/AP Photo

Jaren Jackson Jr. brings shooter’s touch, defensive game to Memphis

ESPN News Services

The Memphis Grizzlies used the fourth pick in the NBA draft to take Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr., a power player who would fit alongside highly skilled Marc Gasol in the frontcourt.

The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Jackson can play power forward or center for the Grizzlies. Memphis had several potential trade partners leading into Thursday, but sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski in the hour before the draft that Jackson had grown comfortable with the prospect of Memphis taking him and provided team officials with the requisite personal information they requested.

The fourth pick was the highest for the Memphis franchise since picking Hasheem Thabeet with the second overall pick in 2009. The previous time the Grizzlies had the fourth overall pick was in 2007 when they chose point guard Mike Conley from Ohio State.

Owner Robert Pera predicted last week that with the right pick — someone to complement Conley and Gasol — Memphis could consider a 50-win season.

“Now, I’m a Memphis Grizzly,” Jackson told ESPN after the selection. “That’s crazy. I’m really happy. I’m so happy.”

Jackson was joined at the draft by his parents, mother Teri and father Jaren Sr., who played 13 seasons and also coached in the NBA.

“He loves me. He’s been my coach, my mentor, my father, and my mother’s been with me every step of the way,” Jaren Jr. told ESPN after being picked.

The Grizzlies also had the 32nd overall pick in the second round.

Conley gave a thumb’s up to Jackson’s selection on Twitter.

Jackson proved in his first season in college he has the ability to be a game-changer, averaging 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds. He also shot 39.6 percent from 3-point range and blocked 106 shots, a single-season record at Michigan State.

As the youngest player in the draft at 18 years, 7 months, Jackson might have the highest ceiling in terms of his ability to affect the game on both ends of the floor. He has enviable physical tools, including a 7-foot-4 wingspan and tremendous mobility.

Jackson’s ability to space the floor (40 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the line), block shots (5.7 per 40 minutes), switch on every screen and, increasingly, put the ball on the floor from the perimeter makes him an ideal fit for the modern NBA.

Jackson joins a franchise coming off its worst season in almost a decade. The Grizzlies recently reshaped their coaching staff, with J.B. Bickerstaff ultimately succeeding David Fizdale, who was fired in late November. Last month, the team named Jerry Stackhouse, Nick Van Exel and six others as assistants.

Bickerstaff said his coaches would emphasize “discipline, grit, physical and mental toughness.”

Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23867326/2018-nba-draft-memphis-grizzlies-select-jaren-jackson-jr-fourth-pick