Game Preview: Memphis Grizzlies at Detroit Pistons

Who: Memphis Grizzlies (24-50, 13th in the West) at Detroit Pistons (13-61, 15th in the East)

When: Monday, April 1st, 6:00 P.M. CST

Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

How To Watch: Bally Sports Southeast

Injury Report:

Memphis: Santi Aldama (Questionable, Illness), John Konchar (Doubtful, Thumb), Vince Williams Jr. (Out, Patellar), Desmond Bane (Out, Back), Ja Morant (Out, Shoulder), Ziaire Williams (Out, Back/Hip), Derrick Rose (Out, Back), Marcus Smart (Out, Finger), Yuta Watanabe (Out, Personal Reasons)

Detroit: Quentin Grimes (Out, Knee), Ausar Thompson (Out, Blood Clot), Isaiah Stewart (Out, Hamstring), Stanley Umude (Out, Ankle)

Run Through the Jacksons

After two weeks of dreaming about Donovan Clingan in a Grizzlies jersey, I will go back to watching Grizzlies basketball. Memphis will be without Desmond Bane and Vince Williams Jr. once again, leaving it to the Jacksons to carry the Grizzlies against the Detroit Pistons.

It all starts with Jaren Jackson Jr., who scored only four points in Memphis’s 118-88 loss in Orlando on Saturday. In his last eight games, Jackson is shooting 40.3% from the field and 28.2% from three. He’s averaging under 19 points, under five rebounds and over four fouls per game during this stretch. While the Grizzlies may have been eliminated from the playoffs, there is still a lot Memphis can takeaway in its final eight games.

There is a reason the Grizzlies brought Bane and Brandon Clarke back from injury this late into the season. After a disappointing year marred by injuries, the Grizzlies are looking to hit the ground running next season and need Bane, Clarke, and Jackson to be in game shape. Jackson has been on cruise control recently, and while Memphis may not be focused on wins and losses, it would be nice to see him find his groove again. Against a Pistons’ team that ranks 26th in opponent points in the paint per game, Jackson should feast inside, getting easy twos that will allow him to stretch the floor and find his deep-ball.

GG Jackson has scored in double figures in his past 10 games, eclipsing 20 four times. Even when his shooting is off, the youngest player in the league shows flashes of greatness on a nightly basis. As the Grizzlies look ahead to next year, head coach Taylor Jenkins needs to figure out Jackson’s long-term role in Memphis. The potential is undeniable but will he start alongside Memphis’s big three, at the four? Or will he provide a scoring punch off the bench? It’s a good problem for Memphis to have and one it certainly should take a closer look at as it closes the season.

GG is due for a big game after a stretch of poor shooting games. Expect him to go off for 20+ against a Pistons team that can not contain his size and speed. Memphis will finally get back into the win column in a low-scoring slugfest.