The Grizzlies‘ decision to have Josh Jackson skip training camp and start the season in the G League could be viewed as an ominous sign for his future in Memphis. However, executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman praised the former No. 4 overall pick for his willingness to embrace the unconventional plan, as David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal notes.
“I would give him a lot of credit,” Kleiman said. “I think Josh recognized that this could be a great opportunity for him. When I sat down with him, he was open and candid and he said, ‘whatever you want me to do, I’m going to do.”
Meanwhile, new Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins conveyed a similar sentiment when discussing Jackson, who has underachieved on the court and has run into trouble off of it since being drafted in 2017.
“He’s willing to come into this situation and really grow, both on the court and off the court,” Jenkins said. “With the support we’re going to provide him, I know he’s excited about it. I’ve got high hopes for him to just take it one day at a time and focus on being the best version of Josh Jackson that he can be. We’ll see how it all plays out.”
As we wait to see whether Jackson can get his career on track in Memphis, let’s round up a few more notes from out of the Southwest…
- Former second-round pick Jaron Blossomgame has impressed the Rockets so far in training camp, according to Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic, who says that multiple coaches have raved about the young forward. Blossomgame looks like a strong candidate for one of Houston’s open two-way contract slots, per Bijani.
- Seth Curry, who played for the Mavericks in 2016/17 and spent the 2017/18 season with the team while he rehabbed a broken leg, cited familiarity with the organization as a key reason why he signed in Dallas this summer, writes Dwain Price of Mavs.com.
- The Spurs‘ offseason free agent and trade acquisitions – DeMarre Carroll and Trey Lyles – were modest, but the most significant addition of the team’s summer might be a healthy Dejounte Murray, says Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Murray appeared to be a breakout candidate a year ago before he torn his ACL.
Chris Clemons should also get one of the Rockets two-way contracts.
Shamorie Ponds will likely challenge Blossomgame for the other spot.
Blossingame looked okay in Cleveland, did not seem to have confidence enough to make an impact… but I would rather still have him than Timothe with the syllables.
If he gets a 2-way deal with the Rockets and ends up playing in Rio Grande Valley, he should have fun down there with their wide open offense.
Good prospect… I think the Cavs were looking for too much from a rookie… they could use another SF but Dantoni’s system is a good spot for him to land.
Blossomgame plays hard. I thought he might stick with the Spurs when he was there, but they didnt have the roster room
Josh Jackson has been used wrong since he came into the league, as I’ve said previously, and I still think he has the talent