Tennessee’s Memphis Coachof the Memphis Grizzlies stood up from his chair and walked over to his best player, Jaren Jackson Jr., who was leaning against the scorer’s table, clearly frustrated and worn out from his performance through three quarters. Jenkins, who is renowned for his meticulous attention to d Taylor Jenkins etail and practical approaches, had one more thing to say to the faltering Jackson.Jenkins didn’t need to be verbose, considering how swiftly the game had developed that night, with Memphis outworking the Houston Rockets on both ends of the court. He only needed to gently prod Jackson in the right direction because it was mid-February and getting close to the All-Star break.Jackson said, “That’s my coach,” to The Athletic. “I need to be coachable, and you need to be able to coach me. That’s when I became irritated; he needed to speak with me briefly.It was Jackson’s 24th turnover of the month, and he was committing more errors than assists each night as he attempted to bully his way onto the basketball court rather than taking his time and finding an easier path.
Jackson, who has developed as Memphis’s offensive go-to option and leader, was aware of the task. Jackson had recalibrated by the fourth quarter, as he scored 11 points in the last quarter to guarantee the Grizzlies’ victory at Fedex Forum. His coach just needed to give him a little motivation.
Regarding the conversation, Jackson remarked, “That doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s been a tough week — turning the ball over too much for my liking.” It seemed as though my perception was shifting. It only comes with learning; I’m picking up new skills like reading and doing other tasks, as well as different floor positions. It takes place.
The foundation of Jackson and Jenkins’ friendship is honesty, mutual respect, and trust. Expectations for this bunch have quickly changed with the 20-36 Grizzlies perhaps on the bench following season-ending surgery for standout point guard Ja Morant and a protracted absence for starting shooting guard Desmond Bane. The Grizzlies, who were once predicted to make the playoffs, are now expected to finish in the lottery.
