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With MLK Day performance, Jaren Jackson Jr. has joined Ja Morant as Grizzlies closers
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- With MLK Day performance, Jaren Jackson Jr. has joined Ja Morant as Grizzlies closers
Jaren Jackson Jr. was struggling through three quarters on Monday. He spent most of that time in foul trouble, struggling to get in a flow.
Despite an uncharacteristic showing to that point, he was confident. As he put it, he believed he could turn it into his best worst game.
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All it took was the fourth quarter to turn around the outlook on Jackson's night. He scored 15 points in the fourth and led the Memphis Grizzlies to a 108-106 win on MLK Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves at FedExForum.
"Before the fourth, I was feeling good," Jackson said. "I had energy, I was happy to be out there, I was in a good mood, but we were down. It was weird. I'm glad it turned around for sure."
Jackson finished with a team-high 24 points, playing the entire fourth quarter and totaled 32 minutes despite dealing with foul trouble in the first half.
The Grizzlies needed Jackson. That much was evident. In his 10 first-half minutes, they were plus-11 when he was on the floor. Ja Morant was the next best, sitting at plus-3 through two quarters.
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Jackson scored two points in the third, and then it was time for the takeover. He attacked Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and any other Timberwolves player who was in front of him.
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Jackson's dominance was pivotal in helping Memphis (28-15) go on an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter to take the lead after spending most of Monday afternoon trailing.
"We all trust Jaren," Scotty Pippen Jr. said. "I feel like he's one of the best players on the court every time he steps out there. When he's got it going, no one can stop him."
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Call 13?
More times than not, it's Morant who gets the call when the Grizzlies need a player to come to the rescue in the final minutes. The previous time they played Minnesota, Morant made a game-winning floater over Anthony Edwards.
Minnesota's physical defense on Monday, however, made things tough on Morant. He finished with 19 points and shot 5-for-16 from the field.
Having another player who can close out games is something Memphis can take advantage of when playing other elite teams. And don't forget Desmond Bane, who finished with 22 points, including four 3-pointers.
"It's really about matchups and how the game is going," Jackson said. "It's game to game . . . When we're in those situations, I like all our options."
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By now, you've probably heard Morant refer to the closing minutes as the time to "call 12." Just in case that phone isn't picking up, Memphis has some other options.
"I'm already on the network," Jackson said. "I don't got to add a phone line."
Calm, cool and collected in pressure
Jackson's progression into a fourth-quarter scorer isn't new. He entered Monday ranked in the top 10 among NBA players in fourth-quarter scoring, and he has had other big fourth-quarter performances against elite competition.
Along with having a strong skill set as an isolation scorer, he is learning how to not make too much of the moment. The seventh-year pro is the longest-tenured player on the Grizzlies, and moments like Monday's thrilling finish are when that experience shows up in good fashion.
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"There's no difference between the quarters to me," Jackson said. "It's just how you're getting guarded . . . You should always have your foot on the gas. I'm always on that."
Before the game, Jackson — representing the Grizzlies players — spoke in front of a packed FedExForum, thanking them for coming out to the MLK Day game.
You probably would think not too many moments compare to the racing pressure of trying to close out a Western Conference game. For Jackson, addressing the crowd made him more nervous than the game itself.
"Because you never know, man," he said. "You never know how that's going to go. I play 82 games. I don't address the crowd 82 times."
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Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com . Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. is joining Ja Morant as team closers
