Insider Insights: JJJ, Grizzlies Power Through Giannis, Bucks

Woah. Can’t say that I had that on my bingo card to kick off April… What am I’m referring to you may ask? Well it would be the 2-0 run the Grizzlies have been on of late.

First against the Pistons Monday… And again last night agianst the 2nd seeded Milwaukee Bucks. In both contests, Mempis was the better squad on the court.

What’s faciliated these victories? It doesn’t seem fair to pinpoint one exact thing… But Jaren Jackson Jr. is a good place to start.

He put the team on his back, spearheading the effort in both games. But the Grizzlies got contributions from all over the place. Which is exactly what you want to see. Even if you’re team is tanking…

You at least want to make sure they’re doing so the right way… Right? Right. Regardless here are two things I liked from last night’s game, and one thing I didn’t.

2 Things I Liked…

• The frontcourt that was promised

You can’t talk about last night’s win—and the previous one at that—without mentioning one name first… Jaren Jackson Jr. ladies and gentleman.

He was by far the best player on the court for the Grizzlies against the Bucks. He posted the following numbers last night… 35 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, and 1 BLK. Throw that with his performance from the game before and you know what he’s totaled?

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— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) April 4, 2024

JJJ has totaled the following through two games in April… 75 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST, 6 STL, and 3 BLK. He’s been the most capital D-Dominat player Memphis has had lately.

All that to say, he’s not shoring up the frontcourt alone for the Grizzlies. Not at all. You see he’s had help. In the form of his old running mate—Brandon Clarke.

And thank the hoops gods for BC. It’s been an absolute joy to have him back on the basketball court. Last night was no exception.

It was only his fourth game back since his Achilles injury… And yet, he’s not appeared to lost a single bit of his game. Here were his stats from last night… 14 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, and 2 BLK.

Nice dish, nice finish 🙌@jarenjacksonjr | @brandonclarke23 pic.twitter.com/PqmCT1G2fA

— Bally Sports: Grizzlies (@GrizzOnBally) April 4, 2024

And his per game averages on the season through 4 games? 12.0 PTS, 5.8 REB, 1.8 AST, 0.8 STL, and 1.3 BLK. That’s pretty damn good for a guy coming off an Achilles’ tear.

It all bodes well for a froncourt that was killing opposing teams last season. Per Cleaning the Glass, lineups with both JJJ and BC were in the league’s 97th percentile last year. Pretty damn good.

With a handful of games left, let’s hope that this duo is able to continue more of the same. It would make for a least a watchable tank… And that’s never a bad thing right?

• Jordan Goodwin’s astounding rebounding

If you had a guess who would you say leads the Grizzlies in rebounds per game? Go on guess. I’ll give you hint… His name was in the subtitle you read above…

Ding ding ding if you said ‘Jordan Goodwin’ you nailed it. If you said anything else… I hope you’re ok… But I digress.

Jordan Goodwin—a point guard mind you—leads Memphis in rebounds per game.

That’s wild.

This is a team that has the two players mentioned earlier—JJJ and BC—for starters. That’s before you even get to Santi Aldama and GG Jackson II, each solid rebounders in their own right. Amid all those dudes…

It’s Goodwin—a 6’3″-6’4″ guard—leading this squad. It’s a testament to how damn good the guy has been attacking the glass. And this is new development out of him too.

Before this year… He’s never averaged more than four rebounds per game in each of his seasons in the league. This year though? This year it’s been a different story.

Goodwin is in the 95th percentile in ORB and DRB among all guards league wide. That’s per Cleaning the Glass. His most recent play though has been even more insane.

JORDAN GOODWIN pic.twitter.com/d0uS3tX3B0

— eric (@EricTweetsNBA) April 4, 2024

He’s got 36 total boards in his last three games—since 3/30/24. That’s tied for tenth in the entire league since that span. The names ahead of him? Real quick…

Anthony Davis. Rudy Gobert. Nikola Jokić. Victor Wembanyama. Domantas Sabonis. Nic Claxton. Wendall Carter Jr. Andre Drummond. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Deandre Ayton.

Notice a trend there? Those are all bigs. And big bigs too you know? Goodwin is keeping pace with those guys. And that’s plain astounding.

…And 1 Thing I Didn’t

• A not-so-good ‘Nardo’ performance

The ‘Nardo’ Conundrum. That’s what I’m calling it. Why won’t Luke Kennard shoot more threes is the question it poses.

And I don’t have an answer. At least to the see-saw effect at which it seems entail.

Here’s Luke’s three point percentage over the past three games… Since returning from—congrats by the way brother—the birth of his kid…

Against Orlando… 28.6% on seven attempts. Against Detroit… 45.5% on eleven attempts. Against Milwaukee… 50.0% on two attempts.

🗣️ Luuuuuuuuuuuuke 🙌 @LukeKennard5 pic.twitter.com/Zn5bHcDVS1

— Bally Sports: Grizzlies (@GrizzOnBally) April 4, 2024

See what I mean by see-saw? To be frank, I want him taking more shots with all these guys out. Plain and simple.

Is Kennard still ranked second in the league in 3PT% this season? Of course. I get that I’m nit-picking… But couldn’t he be first if he shot more? Hell yes he could. And I say go for it.

Photo credit: (Aaron Gash/AP Photo)