It’s like the Grizzlies never tanked at all. They were so bad at the end of last year. So unbelievably bad. They lost by 60 to the Hornets and then laughed about it. It all seems like a fever dream to me now, because the current Grizzlies bear no resemblance to that G-League assemblage of sewer juice.
The only player from that disaster who still gets to play (not that many candidates because most of them got traded/waived) is Dillon Brooks. And MarShon Brooks, kinda. Other than that, it’s like a whole new squad.
Jaren Jackson was the final result of that tankathon. I’m sure Memphis would’ve like a higher pick to nab one of the surer things, but Jackson seems to be a pretty damn good consolation prize. You already know about how young he is, but it’s rare for such a young player (especially one that isn’t exactly a “sure thing”) to be putting up these kind of numbers. His game isn’t exactly the most aesthetic thing around, it’s got a significant “Bambi on ice” quality to it, but buckets are the only thing that matter in this game.