For some reason the Grizzlies decided that this game would be a perfect game to start emulating what the elite teams in the league do. You know what I’m talking about:
Load management!
Never mind that the players that had their loads managed were two rookies, Ja Morant and (relevant to the content of this video) Brandon Clarke. Maybe the Grizzlies didn’t get the memo that you don’t just load-manage any random player, you’re supposed to manage the loads of players who are on the old side or chronically injured. Can’t blame them for trying, though. Building a championship team starts with championship-level practices off the court. Like load management.
Clarke being out meant that there was nobody breathing down Jackson’s neck, pressuring Jackson to be better just by his presence. Clarke has been outplaying Jackson at points this season (to put it mildly), but tonight Jackson could just go out there and do his thing: foul incessantly while also scoring some points and maybe grabbing some rebounds. The scoring part happened, but I don’t know how he only managed 4 rebounds. Was he working out with Brook Lopez too much during the offseason?