Memphis Grizzlies Summer League Review: Part II

Did you miss Part I of our Summer League Review? Check it out here

Thankfully Summer League is over for the Memphis Grizzlies – Grizz Twitter and the Bluff City Discord need a break. In honor of the occasion, I got together with Bluff City Media Associate Editor Shawn Coleman to break down the Summer League fun for the Grizzlies. In Part II, we tackle two heavy questions and look deeply at the curious case of young GG Jackson – and how his growth, and the development of the Memphis roster at large, meshes with winning now.

Bluff City Media Associate Editor Shawn Coleman (@StatsSAC) – I also agree with your takes on Jake Laravia. I do think he has the best chance of fitting what the Grizzlies need from minutes that will be allotted for their young wing depth. But as we discussed with Lofton Jr., there are only so many minutes to go around.

How do you prioritize playing time for all of the Grizzlies young wings, and how can development continue to occur for those who may have inconsistent minutes, such as David Roddy?

BCM Memphis Grizzlies Columnist Joe Mullinax (@JoeMullinax) – It’s time to win – and win now. The time for “data accumulation” has come to a close. The trade of Tyus Jones plus two 1sts for Marcus Smart confirms that. We’ve entered a new era, with new expectations. Nows not the time to experiment – Memphis must produce. So as camp moves along, it can’t be “who has the most potential”? It has to become “who best helps us win?” At this stage, Roddy may become more like John Konchar – a trusted hand that’s only used extensively when needed. Ziaire and Jake have better natural gifts that connect to where Memphis has the largest issues – half court offense.

But LaRavia and Williams have the physical tools, while Roddy has the most versatile game positionally across the perimeter and front court. Roddy can play the 2 – can Ziaire and LaRavia play the 4? It comes down to what is valued. And I like the idea of Lofton Jr. as a niche rotation big. If Memphis is down 12 in the 3rd what sense does it make to go to Xavier Tillman as the next big? Lofton Jr. can provide that scoring pop, then come out before his lack of size/defensive acumen (if it still exists) becomes an issue.

Lets end this with your thoughts on a Grizzlies player very unlikely to see meaningful run in the NBA THIS season – GG Jackson. A mixed bag for the 2023 NBA Draft’s youngest prospect – but again, he’s 18-years-old and almost certainly will spend much of the upcoming season with the Memphis Hustle. I saw enough this summer league run to say the Grizzlies were correct to take a flyer on him at 45 overall – and love that Memphis doesn’t need him yet.

He can get lots of playing time and develop in the G-League. It’s almost as if your beloved Atlanta Braves took a raw catcher or pitcher with great tools out of high school. The Braves don’t need him NOW – but they may in 3-4 years. Jackson can pretty easily be that for Memphis, and the Hustle are a great tool for that level of growth.

How do you envision GG Jackson growing with the Hustle, and are you satisfied with Grizzlies Summer League overall?

COLEMAN – I agree with each of your points above, especially when it comes to GG Jackson. I feel he was a pretty easy selection for the Grizzlies at 45 on draft night. As Zach Kleiman pointed out that night, the Grizzlies were going with a talent to a player they could get on a two-contract. The combination of GG’s natural talent, upside, and the position he could fill on the roster in the future made him a no-brainer.

And for this reason, I am excited about GG Jackson. His natural ability at his size, especially as a scorer and shooter that can self-create, is a skill set that few others have in the Grizzlies organization. However, a lot of work needs to be done with Jackson to get the rest of his game to a level to where he is adding value in multiple areas outside of scoring to stay on the court. With this in mind, my focus for Jackson is simply continuing his summer league role into the G-league.

He should be viewed as one of the primary scoring options for the hustle, so he can evolve and learn as a shooter and scorer. But he also needs to have somewhat heavy usage and reps so that he can experience struggles just as much as successes, and then receive NBA tutelage on how to become more consistently successful. The Grizzlies development system can do that, and if feel Jackson has enough talent, desire, and effort to add value on the defensive end to compliment his offensive game. Furthermore, as Jackson runs into stretches where on-ball scoring is not working, he can develop as a facilitator and off-ball threat.

While him being a relevant NBA player is far from a guarantee, I feel Memphis is going to take the needed time with him to potentially mold him into a roster option in the future. In other words, I feel a path for Jackson is similar to the path we have seen the Grizzlies take with Lofton Jr. over the past year.

Overall, this year’s summer league proved that the Grizzlies have plenty of potential and talent to work with when it comes to the youth on the roster. But the priority is winning now, so it is essential the Grizzlies have plans in place to play the right young talents that can contribute to winning while having development plans for their other young talents out of the rotation. The great thing his Memphis has experience being successful balancing those exact plans in the past, and I feel they will continue find success doing it in the future.

MULLINAX – I saw everything I needed to see in Summer League – I saw struggle, I saw growth, I saw competitive games and reactions to blow outs on both ends of the spectrum. I was fairly confident in the direction of the franchise before the Salt Lake Summer League began, and am even more so now. The Ja Morant situation continues to loom large overall, but that had little to nothing to do with these guys. And while it would have been nice to see Ziaire Williams play, given his specific ailment with his knee strengthening the muscles around it and being able to play when it counts in a few months matters more.

It’s a calculated risk to bet on one of LaRavia/Roddy/Williams to hit as a starting-caliber rotation wing for a team hoping to contend for a title. But clearly – at least as of now – it is one that the Grizzlies are willing to take.

COLEMAN – Joe, this has been a ton of fun, and it makes me even more excited about what is to come. Come on October haha!

MULLINAX – Not so fast, Shawn. The NBA offseason is front-loaded, and I don’t know about you, but I need a breather. GG Jackson and the crew have some work to do “in the dark”, and I’m excited to see who come back bigger/faster/stronger in a couple months.

Besides…If the Grizzlies are done for this offseason, they’ve got some roster decisions to eventually make. And who knows – with the Damian Lillard and James Harden trade demands still floating around, maybe you and I will reconvene to discuss how the Grizzlies can jump in and make things even more interesting for Memphis this coming season.