GG Jackson's 24-game streak ends in Grizzlies spot start

Jackson only got the start because Cedric Coward sprained his left wrist in Wednesday's win over the Jazz. Then it went sideways fast.

Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells, Jackson, Cameron Boozer and Zach Edey opened the game. Jackson went 1-of-6 from the floor for 2 points, with 4 rebounds and 1 assist, and picked up 4 fouls in 10 first-half minutes. Kris Murray took his spot in the third quarter. For a guy who had been a lock for double figures every night, that's a rough way to get your shot.

Damichael Cole

@DamichaelC

GG Jackson’s 24 straight games of double-digit points streak was snapped last night. Ironic that it came in a start? Eh, sorta. This was an example of the cohesive lineups Tuomas Iisalo talks about. Hard to maximize GG’s skillset when sharing the floor with Boozer and Jerome.

Damichael Cole's point is that the start was the problem, not GG. Tuomas Iisalo keeps talking about cohesive lineups, and Friday showed what happens when one isn't. Jerome and Boozer both need the ball to do their thing. Put Jackson out there with 2 guys running the offense and he's mostly standing around waiting for touches, which is not where a gunner like him lives.

Damichael Cole

@DamichaelC

Don’t get me wrong, it can certainly happen over time and with more reps. But the second unit is tailor made for GG. Pippen/Spencer aren’t the playmaking hubs that Booze/Jerome are. That unit is a little more free-flowing and allows GG to rock out. Starting group is different.

That's the case for the bench. With Pippen and Spencer, nobody is the main playmaker. The ball moves, things get looser, and Jackson can just go hunt shots. A 24-game streak of double digits doesn't happen by accident, and most of it came in that kind of role. If you want buckets out of GG, the second unit has been the place to get them.

Damichael Cole

@DamichaelC

You could tell yesterday that GG was just trying to find his way with that group. And again, with reps, it’ll look better and he’ll get his. He’s too talented to not figure it out. We’ll see growth there over the course of the season, but it stood out yesterday.

Cole isn't writing Jackson off as a starter, though. His take is that it's a reps problem, and over a full season GG is too talented not to figure out how to play next to Boozer and Jerome. That's fair. One bad night is not a verdict, especially from a guy who got thrown into a starting group with no warning because a teammate hurt his wrist.

Next up is Sunday against the Kings, and whether Jackson starts again depends on Coward's wrist. If Coward can't go, Iisalo has a choice to make: give GG another crack with the starters, or keep the bench unit that's been working and plug the hole with somebody else. Either way, how that group looks on Sunday says a lot about how Memphis wants to use Jackson this season.