How Memphis Grizzlies will monitor Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama's FIBA World Cup playing time
The Memphis Grizzlies are in the offseason, but Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama will be playing important basketball over the next two months.
The two forwards are playing for their respective countries in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Jackson is suiting up for Team USA, while Aldama will represent Spain. Since playing for your country in the NBA offseason comes with risk, the Grizzlies have sent personnel to monitor both Jackson and Aldama’s usage in international play.
Spain and USA are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. If those rankings hold, the two countries won’t play their final games until Sept. 10, which is about three weeks before NBA teams begin preseason play.
“(USA and Spain) are more than open to us sending people out to keep things on the right track both in terms of body and game,” Grizzlies general manager and president of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said.
Jackson battled injuries through a large part of his first three seasons, but he’s responded well the past two years. Jackson played a career-high 78 of 82 games two seasons ago. He suffered a stress fracture in his right foot last offseason, but he played in 63 of 68 games after missing the first 14 contests.
Aldama saw the first extended action of his two-year NBA career last season, and played in 77 of a possible 82 games with 20 starts.
“(USA and Spain) have been awesome to work with,” Kleiman said. “No concerns. We’re excited to see both of those guys compete on the international stage.”
Jackson is one of three players expected to play most of the minutes at center for USA. The other two players are Walker Kessler — who was a rookie last season — and Bobby Portis, one of the top reserve bigs in the NBA. All signs point toward Jackson being the most likely of that group to join the starting lineup and play the most minutes.
Spain isn’t stacked with its usual amount of NBA talent, but the roster includes several Euroleague players who could get an NBA contract if they chose. Aldama’s role is a bit more of an uncertainty, but his playmaking and shooting should bode well in international play.
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Jackson and Aldama don’t have a scheduled game in the tournament, but USA and Spain will be the favorites in the FIBA World Cup. An exhibition game between Team USA and Spain will also take place on Aug. 13 ahead of the tournament.
Aldama has joked around since last fall about how Spain will beat Team USA, but Jackson isn't planning on showing extra mercy for his NBA teammate.
“(Aldama) already knows how I feel,” Jackson said. “He’s on that side for right now.”
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies monitoring Jaren Jackson Jr., Santi Aldama at FIBA
