Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
2025 PPG: 22.2
2025 TS%: 62.3%
2024 TS%: 55.2%
Change in TS%: +7.1%
The Grizzlies really are something else, aren’t they?
Star guard Ja Morant has shuffled in and out of the lineup. They’ve been bedeviled by the cursed injury imp yet again. Desmond Bane has forgotten how to shoot, and Marcus Smart has been demoted in favor of a rookie.
It hasn’t mattered, as a rag-tag bunch of scrappy try-hards like Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jay Huff have helped keep Memphis not merely afloat but straight-up soaring.
There have been so many storylines in Memphis, both good and ill, that Jackson Jr.’s resurgent season hasn’t really made waves. The big man clearly learned some lessons as the alpha scorer for the Grizzlies hospital ward last year, and he’s been able to dramatically increase his efficiency this season (particularly in the paint).
Last year, JJJ often looked flustered trying to score in a crowd, forcing bad shot after bad shot. This year, however, with more talent around him, JJJ has looked far more in control attacking the basket:
JJJ’s inside game is still very floater-dependent, which always makes me a little nervous. But despite all their travails, the Grizzlies are still competing for home-court advantage in the West. Their unicorn is a big reason why.
