Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in six games and the Defensive Player of the Year thinks getting “humbled” was the best thing for him and his teammates.
Jackson Jr. told Los Angeles Clippers small forward Paul George on PG-13’s podcast that the Grizzlies are going to be hungry next season after losing to LeBron James and the Lakers.
The Grizzlies won 51 games in the regular season. They were the second seed in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Lakers were the seventh seed and had a 38-year-old LeBron playing with a torn tendon in his right foot.
All signs point toward Memphis beating Los Angeles.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
However, the Lakers won Games 1, 3, 4 and 6 to send the Grizzlies home. Memphis forward Dillon Brooks called James “old” after Game 2 and that seemingly woke The King up. LeBron averaged 21.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists after getting called “old” by Brooks.
Jackson Jr. averaged 18.0 points, 7.8 boards and 2.0 blocks in the Lakers series while shooting 42.2% from the field. He was outplayed by Lakers big man Anthony Davis, who averaged 20.8 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in the six-game series.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Grizzlies won’t re-sign Brooks this offseason once free agency starts. The Oregon product played poorly against the Lakers, averaging just 10.5 points while shooting 31.2% from the field and 23.8% from beyond the arc.
Jackson Jr.’s point guard, Ja Morant, may not be around that much next season to help the Grizzlies have a revenge year. The All-Star could be suspended for a long time after getting caught with a gun on an IG Live video for a second time.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Jaren Jackson Jr, Memphis Grizzlies, LeBron James & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Morant could be headed for a “significant suspension,” according to NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
“This is a situation that is wide-ranging,” Windhorst said on Get Up. “And quite frankly, the indication here is that this is gonna be a significant suspension.”
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