Jaren Jackson Jr. looked like a proud big brother on Tuesday morning.
The Memphis Grizzlies big man sat in a chair alongside rookie guard Cam Spencer and later forward Jaylen Wells as the recent draft picks registered to vote during the team’s “Get ReV’d Up!” voter education rally at FedExForum. After Wells finished his registration, Jackson flashed a big smile and patted Wells on the back.
Wells and Jackson then walked to a podium to speak in front of a bunch of high school kids with the goal of helping them understand the importance of civic duties. Jackson talked about the importance of voting, then he put the microphone in front of Wells’ face without handing it to him.
“You got anything to say, rook?” Jackson said.
This is life now for Jackson, who is entering his seventh NBA season. He’s still only 25 years old, but he’s the longest-tenured Grizzlies player. That experience is gracefully elevating the one-time all-star into NBA veteran status.
“I definitely fell like a veteran somewhat,” Jackson said. “Especially being here in one place for so long and seeing everybody roll in here in and out. You see a lot of different things with staff, players. It’s crazy when you think about it.”
Part of those veteran duties are to help the rookies get assimilated. Not just on the floor, but to a major life adjustment. Wells played his college basketball at Washington State while Cam Spencer spent his final collegiate season at UConn. Both places are far from Memphis, and it’s been a quick learning curve in getting adjusted.
Wells has spent most of his summer working out back home, but he recently returned to Memphis. He met Desmond Bane last week and Ja Morant on Monday, and Jackson has been giving him advice.
“He’s definitely a leader on the team,” Wells said. “It’s cool having him here. … Jaren was just telling me today, ‘it’s good that you know how to shoot because it’s easy to adjust to this when you can shoot the ball.'”
Jaren Jackson Jr. on GG Jackson injury
Jackson has been in communication with teammate GG Jackson “every day,” he said. Jaren Jackson Jr. is someone who can relate to GG Jackson, who suffered a right foot injury in August that’ll sideline him for the next three months. Jackson Jr. suffered a similar injury before the 2022-23 season.
Although Jaren Jackson Jr. said the injury “sucked,” he added that it wasn’t a “crazy-bad” injury for him. When GG Jackson got injured, Jackson reached out, and he’s been helpful throughout the process. His advice has been centered around making sure Jackson doesn’t take his foot off the gas during rehab.
“With my help, I’m just going to make sure he’s staying strong through it, keep going and all that,” Jackson said. “That (injury) will hit 19-year olds a certain way.”
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Grizzlies insight on new assistant coaches
The Grizzlies notably revamped their assistant coaching staff with a combined six new hires and promotions. Jaren Jackson Jr. called the new assistants “smart” and “on point.”
Memphis has steadily established an identity as one of the premier defensive teams in the NBA during coach Taylor Jenkins’ tenure. Offense, however, has been a mixed bag. The Grizzlies have created easy scoring opportunities via points off turnovers and transition baskets, but their half-court offense has struggled. Along with making sure the defense stays atop its game, the new coaches will be tasked with emphasizing player development and offensive strategy.
“Introducing our play style and our new way of playing, it’s going to be nice,” Jackson said. “I can’t wait for everybody to see it.”
