How Team USA serves as Jaren Jackson Jr.'s audition as the Memphis Grizzlies' future center
Many of the NBA’s greatest power forwards have made the change that Jaren Jackson Jr. might find himself doing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Although Jackson has established himself as one of the league's best power forwards through his first five seasons, he likely will make the switch to center at some point. The Grizzlies now have a roadmap for what that will look like as they watch their star big man play for Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The Grizzlies have Steven Adams under contract for the next two years, but there isn’t a traditional replacement in line for the 30-year-old. Maybe the team will opt to bring Adams back, but Jackson seems the more likely option to take over.
Jackson still has a number of improvements to work on before making that switch. He’ll continue to play center in certain lineups with the Grizzlies, particularly when they are closing a game, but the FIBA World Cup is offering the most extensive look yet.
Team USA’s exhibition slate is over; group play in the tournament begins Aug. 26 against New Zealand in Manila, the Philippines.
This tournament will present one of the best first tests to see if Jackson can seamlessly make the transition to center.
Position switch history
As the NBA goes to a less traditional style of play, old school power forward has been the position affected the most. No longer are forwards pick-and-popping for 18-foot midrange shots.
Look no further than three of the best power forwards to ever play the game. Kevin Garnett was a twitchy defensive force before playing his final NBA days at center; Tim Duncan finished his last San Antonio Spurs years at the 5, and Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis has started playing center full time the past two seasons.
Jackson is 6-foot-11, making him a natural for today’s center position, but his skill set matches that of a forward with his ability to dribble and shoot. Only three players — Kristaps Porzingis, Brook Lopez and Nikola Vucevic — made more 3-pointers than Jackson last season while primarily playing at center.
Case for position change
One look at the Grizzlies’ roster will show a logjam in the frontcourt. Jackson and Adams are one of the best starting pairings in the NBA. Having Xavier Tillman Sr., Santi Aldama and Brandon Clarke as backups is a luxury, and that doesn’t factor in the pending emergence of Kenneth Lofton Jr.
Lofton, Clarke and Tillman have spent most of their minutes at center, but each player is somewhat undersized at 6-9. Jackson and Aldama is the most natural pairing. In the 228 minutes those two shared the floor in 31 games last season, the Grizzlies had a plus-22.7 net rating. That was the highest of any Memphis two-man pairing that played more than 50 minutes last season.
The little things
Adams is a great example of where Jackson needs the most improvement before making a position change. While Adams ranks as one of the best rebounders and screen setters at his position, Jackson ranks as one of the worst. With Team USA, Jackson is being asked to rebound and set screens with more urgency than in Memphis.
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FIBA rules prohibit players from committing more than five fouls in a game. Jackson has ranked in the top three of fouls per game in four of his five NBA seasons. The Grizzlies sometimes put Jackson on a limited scorer to allow him to roam the paint. While the center position will naturally allow him to roam, he will have more action coming his way. If Jackson is to convert to center, cleaning up his fouls will be one of the biggest adjustments.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Team USA serves as Jaren Jackson Jr.'s audition as the Memphis Grizzlies' future center
