In 2023-24, accidents and the ensuing lack of stability crushed the Grizzlies, producing a 27-55 yr after back-to-back 50-win seasons. A shoulder harm and 25-game suspension all however erased Ja Morant’s yr. Desmond Bane missed half the video games. Solely Jackson and third-year ahead Santi Aldama performed in additional than 60 video games. Jackson, not less than, made probably the most of it. “It was every thing. It gave me an opportunity to be defended by groups in a selected method,” Jackson instructed The Athletic. “(Opposing groups) had been throwing all forms of loopy coverages and schemes on the market. There have been a variety of issues I needed to be taught. It offered me with a brand new problem. … Usually, my job was to just get it and score. But I had to learn to set up my teammates; make sure they were involved. That was a big step for me.” -via New York Times / April 16, 2025