Jaren Jackson Jr. scored a season-high 39 points on 14-for-28 shooting, leading the Memphis Grizzlies to a convincing 128-104 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
The Michigan State alum is having a phenomenal season, boasting averages of 22 points per game, 56% shooting from the field, 40% from three-point range, and a 65% true-shooting percentage.
Last season, team injuries thrust Jackson Jr. into the spotlight, sparking a remarkable growth that prepared him for this season.
“I think last year and this summer for sure,” Jackson Jr. said, on what prepared him for his performance to help the Grizzlies improve to 6-4 on the season. “Being able to read defenses better — make better decisions for the ball with higher usage, and figuring out what defenses are doing against you and kind of making the adjustment.”
“Like Tuomas (Iisalo, Grizzlies assistant coach) says, ‘Whatever the defense does, they’re wrong.’ It just means that adjustment.”
The 25-year-old says his versatility on the court comes from understanding matchups and starting strategies, but also from being adaptable. He avoids relying solely on three-pointers early on and capitalizes on open shots from his team’s offense. He Friday night, he showed his ability to read defenses and make lightning-fast decisions based on defenders’ movements, positioning, and help-side rotations.
And he really wanted that 40 piece, but the game was already out of hand.
“For sure I definitely wanted to get it (40 points) the right way. If it ain’t meant (to be), it ain’t meant (to be). (I) didn’t do enough. I missed a free throw. So there you go.” His career-high is 44 points.
“Heck of a game from Trip [Jaren Jackson Jr.],” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins on Jackson Jr. “Obviously, just the opportunity to be a primary playmaker, diversify his game, there were a couple pick-and-rolls stuck in there by his teammates, but just playing on the perimeter, playing out of the post, just getting that gravitational pull and still being able to finish.”
“Obviously, it was motivating going into the season, because he had had a career year on the offensive side,” Jenkins continued. “So regardless of what our lineups are, I want him to still carry that mentality of being a primary attack guy for us.”
Jenkins concluded: “And, that’s on me to make sure that he’s feeling involved and just playing within our pace and our principles. It’s great to see him have that opportunity tonight and take full advantage of it.”
Scotty Pippen Jr. made history on Friday by earning his first career triple-double, with 11 points (4-8 FG, 3-4 FT), a career-high 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. This milestone places him alongside his father, Scottie Pippen, as the first father-son duo in NBA history to record triple-doubles during their careers.
Pippen Jr. didn’t even know he had made history. “No, I’ve never even heard of that. I would just say crazy,” he said. “I don’t know if I have any words to describe how that feels. Just making history will always be a great thing, but to be the father-son duo to do it is definitely a great thing.”
The 23-year-old wasn’t aware he was close to a triple-double until his injured teammate Ja Morant alerted him. He said, “Ja [Morant] had said something to me — he said I was two away. I don’t know if he meant rebounds, assists or what it was. I was trying to feed Jaren [Jackson Jr.] to get the last two assists, and he started missing. I knew I was going to be coming out of the game soon because he was up, so I was just trying to get my teammates together.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. was happy with Pippen Jr.’s history-making performance.
Grizzlies rookie Yuki Kawamura showed why he’s a fan favorite. When games get out of hand, the crowd in the FedExForum always chants, “We want Yuki.” When he entered the game, they were in for a treat.
The crowd went absolutely nuts when Kawamura got his first bucket.
Kawamura breathed a sigh of relief after sinking his first 3-pointer, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had more to offer
“I was feeling so great,” he said about his first bucket. “But, I’m not satisfied yet. I could have done more, better.”
Up Next
The Grizzlies kick off a three-game West Coast road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, November 10, with an 8 p.m. tipoff.