Paul Pierce sees 'monster' reason Grizzlies are a dangerous threat in West
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The Memphis Grizzlies have flown somewhat under the radar this season, but they currently find themselves in second place in the Western Conference at 35-17. Despite dealing with plenty of injuries over the course of the season, including to star point guard Ja Morant, Taylor Jenkins has this group playing some very good basketball on both ends of the floor.
A big reason why the Grizzlies have been able to stay so consistent this season has been the play of Jaren Jackson Jr. Jackson has looked like a true superstar this season, backing up his elite defense with some excellent offensive production. Former NBA player and NBA champion Paul Pierce thinks that Jackson is the reason why the Grizzlies are a very dangerous opponent out West.
"Jaren Jackson Jr. is starting to look like a monster… I'll take [the Grizzlies] in a 7-game series over anybody in the West, except for OKC… They can beat Houston. They can beat Denver."
— Paul Pierce
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 10, 2025
“Jaren Jackson Jr. is starting to look like a monster,” Pierce said. “He is the prototype big man today because he gets it done on both sides of the court. … I'll take [the Grizzlies] in a 7-game series over anybody in the West, except for OKC. Memphis can be in the conference finals. They can beat Houston. They can beat Denver.”
Jackson is an All-Star this season during a campaign where he is averaging 23.3 points and six rebounds per game. He is also averaging nearly three steals and blocks combined per game and has only missed two games, so the Grizzlies have been able to rely on him game in and game out.
Jaren Jackson Jr. has taken a step forward in 2024-25
During a season where Ja Morant has struggled with injuries and has seen his scoring take a slight step back even when he has been on the court, Jaren Jackson Jr. has made the leap and become the best player in Memphis.
Jackson is the leading scorer on the team and is getting it done on both ends of the floor. He is still bringing the All-Defense level defending no matter what he is being asked to do, whether it be blocking shots, guarding bigs or switching out onto guards on the perimeter.
Offensively, Jackson has upped his efficiency in a big way this season. He is shooting just about 50% from the field on almost 17 attempts per game, which is much higher than the 44.4% that he finished last season with. He is also drilling 37.3% of his 3-pointers, which is his best mark since the 2019-20 season.
The Michigan State product is still fouling far too much, but his average fouls per game is down just a little bit from previous years. That will be the key in the playoffs: if Jackson can stay out of foul trouble and give the Grizzlies 36-38 quality minutes per night, this team when healthy is good enough to compete with and beat just about anybody.
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