The third-year forward is revitalized following a disappointing sophomore campaign.
The starting small forward position has haunted the Grizzlies since they traded away Rudy Gay in 2013. GG Jackson is still the youngest player on the roster entering year three, and he is making a case to become the team’s starting small forward for the upcoming season with his impressive summer league performance to date.
The wing position is arguably the most important in the NBA, and having a dynamic scorer at that spot who can score on all levels would work better in tandem with Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Entering the 2024-25 season, the Grizzlies started Marcus Smart/Desmond Bane at small forward (three-guard lineup) before Jaylen Wells took over the position five games into the regular season.
In five of the Grizzlies’ six postseason games (including two play-in tournament games), the team resorted to starting an even smaller three-guard lineup of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Scotty Pippen Jr. If the team wants to contend, they have to solve that position and they have a couple of young candidates who could be the solution, including GG Jackson.
GG Jackson has a shot to become the Grizzlies’ starting small forward on opening night
Memphis’ Commercial Appeal beat reporter for the Memphis Grizzlies, Damichael Cole, made note on the Locked On Grizzlies podcast that Jaylen Wells will most likelybe the starting shooting guard. This has been speculated since the team traded Desmond Bane because of his defensive fit with Ja Morant in the backcourt.
It is still possible that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could start at shooting guard and Wells will play small forward now that he is a part of the team.
That duo would probably be the favorite if the Grizzlies’ starting lineup were determined by odds.
Still, the Grizzlies could use another wing scorer in their lineup, and GG Jackson is a possible candidate for that role. GG Jackson’s disappointing performance as a sophomore led many to speculate that he would be a trade chip this offseason.
However, the team opted to add young wings Cedric Coward with the eleventh overall pick in the NBA draft, reversing their previous move.
With Coward out for the summer league while he recovers from a shoulder injury, GG Jackson has stepped back into the limelight and been rather successful.
He averaged 23.5 points per game on 57/37.5/75 shooting splits through his first two summer league games in Salt Lake City before finishing his first summer league game in Las Vegas with 16 points on 50% shooting. Grizzlies’ head coach Tuomas Iisalo is coaching the summer league team and has instilled confidence in GG Jackson’s game, which is showing on full display.
Jackson has been used primarily as a downhill attacker on offense instead of a spot-up shooter, and it has done wonders for his game this summer. If he continues that momentum, he has a good chance to get the Grizzlies’ future started early by starting next to Morant, Jackson Jr., Wells, and Zach Edey for the upcoming season.
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