Jaren Jackson Jr On Grizzlies’ Recent Struggles: “Always Could Be Worse, You Could Be Homeless”

Jaren Jackson Jr. has an interesting response when asked about the Grizzlies' recent struggles.

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Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies are now on a three-game losing streak following a 117-103 loss to the Boston Celtics at FedEx Forum on Monday. The Grizzlies are in a complete free fall right now, and star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. had an interesting response postgame when asked about the feeling in the locker room amid their struggles.

“We’ve had wins, we’ve had losses, ain’t no reason to feel crazy,” Jackson said. “It always could be worse, you could be homeless.”

You understand Jackson keeping things in perspective there, but Grizzlies fans certainly do not want to hear that at the moment. This might have been one of the worst responses the 25-year-old could have given.

The Grizzlies have now gone 2-7 in their last nine games and are 8-13 since the All-Star break. You’d want a player to be upset about that instead of talking about how things could have been so much worse on a personal level. It sure does give the impression that you’re waving the white flag and aren’t too bothered about the season potentially being a lost cause.

Jackson may not be thinking along those lines, but that’s what the response conveys. The two-time All-Star certainly can’t be accused of quitting, though, as he put in another solid performance against the Celtics.

Jackson had 20 points (8-16 FG), 15 rebounds, one assist, and one block against the Celtics. That was his season-high for rebounds, but the performance wasn’t good enough to get the win.

The Grizzlies have now dropped to 44-31 and look set to finish outside the top six in the West and fall into the play-in spots. They had seemed a lock to finish in the top four when they entered the All-Star break with a 36-18 record, but have fallen apart since.

The Grizzlies’ struggles could also hurt Jackson financially. When Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the season due to deep vein thrombosis, the Grizzlies star became one of the favorites to win the award. If he’d gone on and won DPOY, he would have been eligible for a five-year, $345 million extension this offseason.

With the Grizzlies struggling after the break, though, Jackson is no longer in the running for DPOY. He is also at risk of not making any of the All-NBA teams, and if he misses out on that as well, then the Grizzlies would only be able to offer him a four-year, $147 million extension.

Jackson would go from potentially making almost $70 million per year to about $36 million. That is just brutal. Maybe if the Grizzlies end the season well, he’d make the All-NBA Third Team.

The Grizzlies take on the Golden State Warriors next at FedEx Forum on Tuesday at 8 PM ET. Interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo is still searching for his first win, and it would be quite a statement if they beat the Warriors.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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