What Impact could GG Jackson’s Injury have on the Grizzlies to start the season?

It is safe to assume that many within the Grizzlies franchise and fanbase have a high level of anticipation for the start of the 2024-2025 season to arrive. Many of the best known minds covering the NBA as a whole have also expressed intrigue on how good the Grizzlies could be next season. A big reason for that anticipation and intrigue is the assumption that the Memphis roster will finally be near full health for the first time in over a year. It also is due to the excitement of seeing the young Grizzlies that emerged last year finally get a chance to play with the Grizzlies core and best players.

Unfortunately, a grim reminder of the past 15 or so months for the Grizzlies was confirmed on Friday:

The news was likely a shock to many as there had been no previous reports of Jackson suffering an injury. Nevertheless, it certainly is a significant development. The fact that it is a foot injury and that surgery will be required means that Jackson will be out for months. While it is a bit of a positive that the injury occurred two months before the start of the season instead of at a later date, it is very likely Jackson will not be available until several weeks after the 2024-2025 season starts.

Beyond the injury itself and Jackson’s recovery in the coming weeks and months, both Jackson and the Grizzlies will be impacted due to missed opportunity in training camp and in the lead up to the beginning of the season. For one, Jackson will miss a valuable opportunity to form further chemistry with Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and others. Outside of being on the court with Jackson Jr., Jackson played with Bane for only 113 total minutes last year. He has not played a single possession with Morant or Smart. Neither the injury itself nor missing training camp is expected to have a negative impact on Jackson in the long run. However, it likely lessens the chance that he could emerge as a significant contributor early in the season, even after he returns.

As for the Grizzlies, it is fair to point out the impact of the injury itself will be more significant for Jackson individually than the team based on reasons above. The most likely scenario for Jackson to begin the season was to be a regular part of the rotation, but as the 9th or 10th man. As a result, the expected production from the 9th or 10th man role could now be assumed by other young members of the Memphis roster, such as Santi Aldama or Jake Laravia. With all the injuries that occurred for Memphis over the past few years, even the younger members of the roster have plenty of experience taking on larger than expected roles for stretches of time.

However, while Aldama or Laravia will likely be just fine at the back end of the rotation to start the season in terms of production, what the Grizzlies will miss the most in terms of Jackson is his potential. The most important players to the present and future of the Grizzlies are Morant, Jackson Jr., and Bane. In terms of present production, others may be projected for more significant roles this season. But in terms of potential, it is hard to argue that any player on the Grizzlies roster outside of the Big 3 offers more significance than Jackson (an argument could be made for Zach Edey.)

At his size as a wing to play the 3 or the 4 in different lineups, the scoring, shooting, and self-creation upside that Jackson offers has been something this roster has been in search of for years. Jackson becoming a reliable source of offense that impacts winning is an outcome many hoped could happen this season, especially with a strong start to the year. While that outcome could still occur, this injury makes it less likely to happen any time soon. As a result, the Grizzlies will need to rely more on veterans such as Brandon Clarke and Luke Kennard as well as young members of the roster like Vince Williams Jr. to be consistent offensively off the bench.

While Jackson emerging as a significant contributor early in the season is less likely than before, this injury should not result in him either missing a big part of the season or being limited once he returns. It is well known the Grizzlies are very cautious when it comes to their young talent recovering from injuries, and they have every reason to ensure Jackson returns at 100% health. However, when he does return, he should immediately have a spot in the rotation. Even if it is as a 9th or 10th man, his ability to deliver significant stretches of needed offense will be a big boost once he returns. Add in the impressive rebounding that he showed in the NBA summer league, and there are multiple ways in which he could make a clear impact.

As mentioned above, other young Grizzlies will now have the opportunity to take on bigger than expected roles in Jackson’s absence. Williams Jr., Aldama, and Laravia will all likely have a spot in the wing and front court rotation during games. For Williams Jr., the big key is continuing to impact winning in many different ways, especially with his defense and facilitation. For Aldama, regaining his offensive quality from his sophomore season could be huge, especially when his playing for his next contract. Laravia simply needs to continue his improved play from the end of last season. One thing that should help out each of these players is consistent quality play from the point guard position. If each of these players can consistently hit good looks that are created for them, the Grizzlies offensive depth will be trending in a good direction.

Overall, the injury to GG Jackson is certainly disappointing but is not a season-altering development, either for Jackson or the Grizzlies. With the injury occurring now, Aldama and Laravia know they will have bigger than expected roles to aid in their preparation for the season. And once Jackson returns, hopefully before the holiday season arrives, the Grizzlies will have a good idea how to best utilize him during games. If the outcome from this is good offensive consistency from the Grizzlies young front court depth in addition to Jackson, then the Grizzlies will have more reliable options to work with as the season progresses. That will be a big help in keeping the roster healthy and effective throughout the season, a big development considering what the roster had to deal with last year.

So for now, the main hope is that Jackson will have a successful surgery and speedy yet effective recovery as his foot heels. Last year, Jackson’s development and production truly was a saving grace for what many considered to be a “lost season.” This year, once he returns, Jackson could offer a bit of excitement in a different way. As the team focuses on winning and once again becoming a contender, effective play from Jackson should help silence questions about the offense and make the outlook for this team even better moving forward.

In other words, the excitement level of seeing what Jackson will mean for the Grizzlies in the present and future should be at the same level it has been since he debuted last January. We all will just need to be patient for a bit longer than expected to see it play out on the court.