“ Unstoppable. » The qualifier came up several times in the mouths of local TV commentators when seeing Jaren Jackson Jr. puncture the Mavs defense last night. It also comes back in the reaction of his teammate John Konchar : “ He is unstoppable. He does everything for us on offense. He has improved a lot. It's nice to see. »
And less friendly for opposing defenses. Already the author of a big outing with 38 points and 12 rebounds on the Suns floor a few days ago, the interior continued this night with 35 points (13/23 on shots including 1/2 from distance and 8/12 on shots), 13 rebounds (tied career record) and 5 assists.
Imagine not being able to be stopped by the opposing defense? “ I have to have this mentality. Otherwise, failure is assured. You have to come with that mentality every night, trust in your work and what happens will happen. “, sums up the 25-year-oldwhose team had to do without Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, Santi Aldama or even GG Jackson!
A bunch of absences – Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford were on the sidelines opposite – from which the Grizzlies did not suffer too much as “JJJ” carried the team on his broad shoulders. Without insisting too much with his 3-point shot, he still did a lot of damage in the post, with his back to the basket or with his left hand “floater”.
A second All-Star selection in sight
“ His resilience is incredible, the way he takes care of his physique… He plays a lot every night. The offensive workload, from a creative position, with the ball more in his hands, he even does a great job moving without the ball “, notes his coach Taylor Jenkinswho also appreciates the defensive work of his player, distinguished for his month of December in this area.
The technician adds: “ It’s constancy, regularity. He is aware of the impact he is going to have on both ends of the pitch, no matter who is there with him. He clearly wants to take on the challenge even more. He does all this within the scope of the team. When he has space to score, he does. »
He's doing it a lot at the moment. Over his last six outings, Jaren Jackson Jr. is averaging 28 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. This fuels his best career average with just under 23 points per evening, despite less playing time (29 minutes) than last year.
Enough to allow the best scorer of the 3rd team in the West to win a second All-Star selection, after that obtained in 2023? He has all the arguments for…
| Jaren Jackson, Jr. | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | M.E.M. | 58 | 26 | 50.6 | 35.9 | 76.6 | 1.3 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 13.8 |
| 2019-20 | M.E.M. | 57 | 29 | 46.9 | 39.4 | 74.7 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 17.4 |
| 2020-21 | M.E.M. | 11 | 24 | 42.4 | 28.3 | 83.3 | 1.5 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 14.4 |
| 2021-22 | M.E.M. | 78 | 27 | 41.5 | 31.9 | 82.3 | 1.5 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 16.3 |
| 2022-23 | M.E.M. | 63 | 28 | 50.6 | 35.5 | 78.8 | 1.7 | 5.0 | 6.8 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 18.6 |
| 2023-24 | M.E.M. | 66 | 32 | 44.4 | 32.0 | 80.8 | 1.3 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 22.5 |
| 2024-25 | M.E.M. | 34 | 29 | 49.1 | 34.6 | 79.3 | 1.4 | 4.9 | 6.2 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 22.3 |
| Total | 367 | 28 | 46.4 | 34.5 | 79.5 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 18.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
