Jaren Jackson Jr. took a massive leap last season, becoming an All-Star and being named the Defensive Player Of The Year in just his 5th season in the NBA.
With Ja Morant facing issues off the field, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane need to step up for the Memphis Grizzlies. And Jackson Jr. has done that by becoming one of the league’s best defenders. What makes it wild is how he did it, explaining that a video game improved him.
“I feel like I get my timing from 2K and I’m being serious,” Jackson Jr. told Paul George on Podcast P when asked about his shot-blocking.
He then went into the details, adding, “It’s really a lot about instincts. You can’t be afraid. I mean, I’ve had my string of foul trouble like, just going for everything. I think when I was first in the league I was swiping more hard. Like, swiping a lot more, not picking my spots well.
“When I started picking my spots better, I would just wall up and at the end, I’d find an opportunity to block a shot. Rather than dudes running at me and I just wind up, it doesn’t work like that. It’s all about being patient and waiting till the last moment… They get by you in 2K, you figure out the timing for when to block shots. Yeah.”
NBA players will universally agree that they get better by watching film and breaking down the game, but to improve by playing 2K is quite wild. Jaren Jackson Jr. went from averaging 1.6 blocks a game in the 2020-21 season to averaging 3.0 blocks per game in 2022-23, so it’s hard to question what he says at all. The results speak for themselves.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Expects The Grizzlies To Take The Next Step In 2023-24
The Memphis Grizzlies have the best young core of players in the NBA, but they haven’t been able to get past the second round of the playoffs so far. And after being humbled by the Los Angeles Lakers last season, Jackson Jr. thinks next year will be when they break out.
“I think getting humbled was the best thing for us,” he said on Podcast P. “I think it’s gonna make us way more hungry like we were three years ago when there was no expectation of anything. We got leveled at the end of the year. So, we gotta sit with that all summer. We were done in May. We’re gonna have that edge, we’re gonna come back, we’re gonna be hungry… We’re gonna get it done.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. put up absurd defensive stats last season, averaging a steal a game as well as three blocks. And he’s doing a lot offensively too, he averaged 18,6 points per game last season. If Ja Morant comes back motivated and JJJ and Bane continue to improve, the sky is the limit for this Grizzlies team.
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