Jaren Jackson Jr. joins Inside the NBA, talks Grizzlies and Ja Morant: 'That's our brother'

Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. joined TNT's "Inside the NBA" postgame show on Wednesday night after a game between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.

Jackson answered questions from Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kenny Smith while in the studio. He also provided analysis and breakdowns of what was currently happening in the NBA playoffs.

As expected, Jackson was asked to address was how Grizzlies star Ja Morant is handling everything that came with his two suspensions by Barkley. Morant was suspended in March 2023, then again for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season after appearing to brandish a gun in two separate Instagram Live videos.

"That's our brother," Jackson said. "It's way different than just being someone's teammate when you've played this long and on and off the court have so many experiences with somebody. But we all go through things when we're coming up and just famous ... and not like regular famous like everybody else in the league. You're worldwide known. Around the world, when I was at FIBA, I could see people with Ja Morant jerseys everywhere. That's what it comes with, so it's just circumstantial. You have to just think about it in a vacuum, filter it the right way, but that's our brother, man."

Johnson then asked Jackson to recall his feelings after Morant was injured.

Morant and the Grizzlies looked like a team ready to make a longshot playoff push after his first nine games, but the Grizzlies star suffered a labral tear in his right shoulder that resulted in season-ending surgery. The injury occurred in between games. Johnson asked Jackson to recall how he felt after Memphis had started just gaining momentum.

"That was a bad day," Jackson said. "My blood pressure was up. I wasn't feeling good that day. There wasn't really much to say because that's part of the game. I mean sometimes we make mistakes and stuff happens, but injuries are part of the game, unfortunately, and I've been there. He's never had an injury like that and he handled it really well."

Jackson went on to discuss things like what makes a player a MVP candidate and much more, but what stood out was his response to O'Neal after the four-time NBA champion asked Jackson what will be his goals next season.

Jackson didn't talk about his self individually, and he was clear. The Grizzlies can't use age as an excuse anymore, Jackson said. He described next season as "make or break."

"Remember the feeling of sitting at home in the first round," Jackson said. "Don't let any of this go to waste. Every day when we're in camp, we have to remember this feeling."

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Jaren Jackson Jr. talks Ja Morant, Grizzlies on TNT's 'Inside the NBA'