Kendrick Perkins is never one to hold back, and he lit up ESPN’s airwaves once again with a blistering take that has sparked waves across NBA circles. In the wake of the Memphis Grizzlies’ historic 51-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their first-round playoff matchup, the former NBA champion aimed his sharpest criticism directly at All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
“Number one, y’all not gonna win Tuesday, but number two, I believe Ja Morant but I don’t believe Jaren Jackson Jr. Let’s have an uncomfortable conversation real quick. He is the most overhyped player in this league. He’s not even a top-ten big in my eyes, and here’s why I’m going at him.”
“Forget the fact that you fire your coach five games—eight games—left in the season and you need him to step up. Forget the fact that Ja Morant probably shouldn’t be playing because he’s taking shots every damn day to stay on the floor, because we know how severe that ankle sprain is.”
“Forget the fact that he is a former Defensive Player of the Year. Forget the fact that he made an All-Star team this year. Matter of fact, forget the fact that he had four and three.”
“Do you realize 43 was my jersey number in Boston? Do you realize four and three is what I averaged? You an All-Star, bro. They need you to step up at the biggest times. I don’t care—it’s a make-or-miss league.”
“You’re going to miss shots. But there’s no way in hell that Jaren Jackson Jr. should ever leave a game without having double-figure rebounds and being impactful on the defensive side of things.”
“So when I look at the Memphis Grizzlies, and I look at this matchup against Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren, you gotta impose your will. You can’t have them switching Alex Caruso on you and you’re settling for threes, and you can’t get two feet in the paint—in the paint—and punish them on these mismatches.”
“When I think about him, yes—there are ten bigs that I would take over him right now.”
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Perkins’ frustration stems not just from the stat line—2-of-13 shooting, 0-of-4 from deep—but from Jackson’s general passivity, especially on the glass.
In Perkins’ eyes, any big man with Jackson’s physical tools, defensive resume, and team status should never leave a playoff game without double-digit rebounds or some defensive presence.
Indeed, Jackson’s Game 1 performance felt worlds apart from the 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game he averaged during the regular season.
And while his shooting woes are forgivable in a make-or-miss league, Perkins made it clear that rebounding, effort, and interior impact have no excuse, especially for a player heralded as a franchise cornerstone.
The Grizzlies trail 0-1 in the series and will face a daunting task in Game 2 on Tuesday. But for Jaren Jackson Jr., the challenge is now personal. He’s not just playing to win a playoff game, he’s playing to prove that Kendrick Perkins, and anyone else doubting his legitimacy, has it all wrong.
