In the Lakers' game against the Grizzlies, the full-bodied Lakers unexpectedly lost 95-108 to the Grizzlies, who lacked Morant and Dillon
It is not an exaggeration to say that the Grizzlies are playing in a brutal game, and what is more exaggerated is that today's game is their third game in 4 days, and both personnel and physical strength are at a disadvantage
James finished his 100th career triple-double, but the Lakers lost a game that should have been easily won by sending 22 turnovers
The best player on the Grizzlies side is undoubtedly the 2018 rookie Jalan Jackson Jr. (hereinafter referred to as 3J)
He had 25 points, five rebounds and three steals on 9-of-18 shooting, and he hit the Lakers as if they were still asleep in the game
For example, this ball, 3J held the ball in the face of the thick eyebrow brother's defense without fear, sideways from the top of the three-point line to the inside line to easily complete the end
And this ball, 3J's small rhythm change outside the three-point line, easily broke through the thick brow defense, and the two sides scored with a dunk
(There is a saying that today's thick eyebrow defense is also too soft and too slow)
In addition to the wonderful performance in the face of thick eyebrows, 3J also had a goal to top the layup of Horton Tucker, who is also 2 meters 11 and has a bit of a letter brother breakthrough charm
Unlike Alphabet Brother, 3J's career three-point shooting rate is 37%, while Alphabet Brother is only 28.8%
As a big player, 3J not only has excellent mobility, agility and projection ability
At the same time, he is also quite accomplished on the defensive end, and in the era of small balls that emphasize unlimited changes of defense, 3J seems to be like the ultimate answer of this era
Let's take a look at the growth story of this "monster" together
Born on September 15, 1999 in Indiana, 3J's father, Jaren Jackson, was also an NBA player, but in his 13-year NBA career, he played only 431 games and won a championship ring
3J has been very good at learning since he was a child, and growing up with his father as a professional player, 3J undoubtedly started from a higher starting point than other players, and he has developed a humble and courteous personality from an early age
In high school, 3J was selected to the McDonald's All-America Team and then represented Michigan State University in the NCAA League
In his NCAA career, 3J averaged 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and a staggering 3 blocks in 22.2 minutes per game, and was named the Best Rookie and Best Defensive Player in the Top 10 Leagues
At that time, his teammate was the violent dunker Bridges in the Hornets, who was not as good as Morant, but he also needed enough space on the court for him to break through
Therefore, in college, 3J was asked to develop a three-point shooting ability, as one of the four major internal lines in the class of 2018, 3J is the most shot among them, reaching 64 times, and the shooting rate is as high as 43.3%.
In addition, 3J's mobility is also at the top level in the 2018 class of 4 interior lines, and we can often see that he has just finished defending from his own penalty area, and immediately followed the team to launch a long-distance attack
Coupled with an excellent arm span (2m 27), the 3J is not afraid to change any outside players on the court, giving people a feeling of suffocation that cannot be shaken off and covered by the sky on the defensive end
But 3J is not a "full body" player either
In college, he would be a little frizzy on the field, and there would always be some inexplicable mistakes
At the same time, his confrontation ability is not very good, sometimes you will see that he can't stand up to the opposing inside players on the defensive end, and in the offensive end, if he encounters confrontation, there will be a certain movement deformation
Therefore, 3J's draft template before entering the league is the current Pacers center Turner, and Aldridge, both of whom are interior players with excellent shooting ability
In the 2018 draft, 3J was unsurprisingly selected by the Grizzlies with the fourth pick
In front of him are Admiral's interior behemoth Ayton, Bagley, a jumping genius who can defend five positions, and Doncic, MVP of the Europa League
At that time, the top three could bring immediate combat power to the team, and 3J was a piece of jade with a good foundation, but it still needed to be carved
The rookie season of 3J is undoubtedly lucky, and he has a wonderful mentor by his side - Marc Gasol
3J has played more than 50 games around Xiao Jia, and has been playing the role of a two-center forward, constantly using his enthusiasm to rush to the front court rebounds, cooperate with Xiao Jia to cut into the interior line to complete the scoring, defensive make-up, play well
At that time, the 3J mainly scored through the face frame to break through singles and low hooks, and the 3-point shot was just a backup weapon for him (averaging 2.4 shots per game).
Due to the excellent ball-holding offense and the ability to break through the face frame, after the rookie season, it is generally believed that the template of 3J is no longer Turner or Aldridge, but more like anthony Devons
In the second half of the 3J rookie season, the team sent Conley and Xiao Jia away, officially entering the reconstruction period
In the draft the following year, the Grizzlies picked up Morant with a pick-and-roll pick
Maybe the Grizzlies saw the way 3J opened up space for Bridges in college, and after Morant came to the team, 3J made sacrifices and changed his playing style
Coupled with the fact that the center in the team at the time, Varlan, did not have the ability to open up space like Xiao Jia, so the proportion of 3J's low-post offense also dropped from 24.8% last season to 16.8%.
Without possession offense and interior singles, 3J's average three-point shot per game increased dramatically to 6.5, but fortunately, with so many shots, his three-point shooting rate remained at 39.4 percent.
3J's excellent three-point ability opened up space for Morantra, which also achieved the tactical purpose of the Grizzlies, and his average of 17.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game is still amazing
But 3J's growth direction did not meet everyone's expectations, and he no longer played like Anthony Davis
In addition, injury problems have also plagued him in the first three seasons, with a total of 126 games in three years, in addition to the meniscus tear in the left knee that caused the season reimbursement, 3J has also suffered thigh contusion, right knee sprain, right quadriceps injury and so on
Under various factors, in the eyes of the outside world, 3J has reached a career trough; but in the eyes of the Grizzlies, this has also ushered in the opportunity to renew 3J
In 4 years and 105 million, the Grizzlies completed a contract extension with 3J and began to build a team lineup around Morant and 3J
Fortunately, 3J, who has returned from injury this season, tells us one thing
His ability to carry the ball offensively singles has not been lost, and has developed a complete arsenal of weapons that can be seamlessly switched according to the situation on the field
Although 3J still has the problem of insufficient confrontation ability, he can use his excellent movement speed to single out opposing interior players, such as this ball after breaking through the barrier Gobert is a good proof
In addition to this, the Grizzlies also laid out a lot of three-point tactics for 3J, and now 3J's three-point shots are becoming more and more decisive (even somewhat unreasonable, known as "big curry"), of course, followed by a slight decline in shooting percentage (35.8%)
In the last 10 games, 3J has averaged 20.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and shot 50 percent from the field.
What's more worth mentioning is that in the absence of top superstar Morant, the Grizzlies have won 6 of the last 7 games, including one of which has won the Thunder by 73 points, setting a record for the largest point difference in the NBA regular season
The Grizzlies, currently fourth in the West, have built a lineup with the most potential in the league after a two-year rebuilding period
They used 3J's ability to pull away space, maximizing Morant's breakthrough role
And in order to make up for the lack of 3J rebounding ability, Adams, who has stronger frame protection ability and is better at grabbing rebounding "card positions", was found
Coupled with Dillon, Bain and other players who have both offensive and defensive skills, the team continues to maintain passion and "hunger"
Maybe the Grizzlies will be a strong contender in the league this season
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