NBA Summer League: Former Gamecock GG Jackson impresses in debut
By Kevin Miller
Objectively-speaking, the 2023 NBA Draft did not go the way that GG Jackson had hoped. The once-guaranteed Lottery pick slid all the way to the middle of the 2nd round after an up-and-down season on and off the court for South Carolina basketball.
However, there are some silver linings on what seemed like a cloudy outlook for Jackson.
- GG Jackson is the youngest player in the NBA and has plenty of time to grow his game.
- Jackson ended up with a good team in the Memphis Grizzlies. He will be fighting for playing time on a team that knows how to win instead of being thrown onto the court with a squad that doesn’t do anything but lose.
- The NBA’s G League (formerly D League) has become a very good developmental league that boasts some really quality players. Important NBA players like Pascal Siakim, Khris Middleton, Rudy Gobert, and Scoot Henderson have come from the G League in recent years.
There is also plenty of basketball to be played for GG Jackson before the regular season begins. That basketball action began last night when the Memphis Grizzlies played their first NBA Summer League contest against the Philadelphia 76ers Summer League group.
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Rocking the #45 for the draft pick with which he was selected in the 2023 NBA Draft, Jackson had a very good debut for the Grizz.
In just 17 minutes of action, Jackson scored 10 points on 50% shooting, had two blocks, two assists, a rebound, and a steal. He also was one of the better players for Memphis in a two-point victory.
One of Jackson’s buckets looked like something most South Carolina basketball fans hoped he would do in garnet and black: Jackson caught the ball on the wing and immediately turned his back to the basket. In college, he would have taken a tough fadeaway jumper, but this time, Jackson backed his defender down and took an easier baby hook in the lane for two points.
Some of Jackson’s biggest questions surrounding his on-court ability heading into the 2023 NBA Draft were his passing skills (and willingness) and his defensive effort. With two assists, two blocks, and a steal in just 17 minutes, he answered some of those questions. It is just one game, but Jackson displayed that he is capable of more in those areas than what he showed for Carolina.