Jaren Jackson, with 25 seconds left in the game and the shot clocking winding down, showed LeBron James his “Jaren Jackson Juniors”* with a big stepback triple to put the game away. For now I’m just going to ignore the existence of Isaac Bonga and talk about how impressive it is that the youngest player in the league is having this kind of game against one of the best players the NBA has to offer.
That last sentence reads funnier if you imagine it as referring to Ivica Zubac. Just saying.
Jackson had gone awhile without a 20-point game, and I have the reason right here for you so you don’t have to think about it: it’s because he’s being held down by his coach. J.B. “Joe Blob” Bickerstaff. I actually don’t have firsthand evidence of Jackson getting held down, but Grizzlies fans keep saying it, and since they watch every game, I have no reason not to believe them. In any case, you can bet this wouldn’t be happening if Fizdale was still around. He’d be marginalizing Marc Gasol instead of Jackson.
*Jaren Jackson Juniors refers to his testicles.