Gregory

Jackson

Jackson injured his foot while playing basketball on August 27. According to the Grizzlies, the surgical procedure was successful, and Jackson will be re-evaluated in three months. Any fantasy managers hopeful of deriving late-round value from GG must pivot; Vince Williams Jr. was a better option even before the injury. Due to the likely ramp-up time needed before he’s fully cleared to return, Jackson may not offer much to managers in redraft leagues this season.

Unfortunately, the Grizzlies’ bad luck with injuries has not dissipated. Jackson, one of the few bright spots during an injury-riddled 2023-24 season for the franchise, reportedly broke his foot while playing basketball just outside of Dallas on August. 27. The Grizzlies announced that he’ll undergo surgery next week, and it’s unknown how much time he’ll miss. Jackson faced a problematic climb to fantasy relevance as part of a complete Grizzlies rotation, and the foot injury doesn’t help matters. Depending on what the doctors say post-surgery, there may not be a need to consider drafting GG in most fantasy leagues.

Jackson did not leave Las Vegas with the NBA 2K25 Summer League title, but Monday’s title game defeat capped a very encouraging summer for him. The 2023 second-round pick did more than just score, making strides as a facilitator while consistently taking on challenging defensive matchups. With a healthy Grizzlies roster, Jackson must provide value off the bench. He took significant steps in the right direction this month, which should only benefit GG and the Grizzlies moving forward. His fantasy value will take a hit with Memphis at full strength, but Jackson will be worth a roll of the dice as a late-round pick.

Jackson had another productive day offensively, scoring 20 points to help propel the Grizzlies into Monday’s championship game. While the turnover (six) count wasn’t great, this has been a summer of immense growth for the 2023 second-round pick. Primarily a scorer last season, Jackson has been tasked with expanding his game on both ends of the floor. He’s taken on some difficult defensive assignments but has not backed down from the competition, which is a good sign for the Grizzlies heading into next season. Jackson’s fantasy upside on a healthy Grizzlies team will be limited, but he’ll be worth a late-round roll of the dice in many leagues.

Jackson had a poor shooting performance in this game, but he has been excellent overall this summer. He stepped into a large role in his first season despite being a second round pick due to the injuries the team dealt with, and he proved that he should continue to be part of their rotation this upcoming season with his performance this summer. However, there won’t be as much fantasy upside this year with the team healthy, though he will still be worth a late-round pick.

After playing well at the Salt Lake City summer league, Jackson has been even better in Las Vegas. He finished Wednesday’s victory with his second double-double in as many games, and the Grizzlies have also given Jackson more challenging defensive matchups. That’s the end of the floor where GG needs to improve the most, and while he did not produce any defensive stats against the Magic, the second-year forward was not a liability. He’ll be worth taking a late-round flier on in fantasy drafts this fall.

Jackson’s play has steadily improved after getting off to a slow start in his summer opener on July 8. He played well in finishing the Grizzlies’ time in Salt Lake City, and progress has continued in Las Vegas. While the minutes are unlikely to match the workload Jackson was asked to shoulder as a rookie due to the Grizzlies being healthy, he will be able to earn rotation minutes when training camp opens in September. The “microwave-like” scoring ability makes Jackson worthy of consideration in deep fantasy leagues.

Jackson sat out of their previous Summer League game, but he returned to the lineup to play on Wednesday. He played better than he did against the Jazz, where he shot 6-of-20 from the floor. However, his six turnovers in this game weren’t ideal. He’s still only 19 years old, which makes him younger than a lot of the players in this year’s class. He had an excellent rookie season, and it is encouraging to see him continue to play well this summer.

Jackson doesn’t struggle with being aggressive on the offensive end of the floor, and that approach made him valuable to some fantasy managers last season. However, that approach can backfire on occasion. Jackson had a rough night from deep on Monday, missing all ten 3-point attempts. Last season, he shot 35.7% from three on 6.0 attempts per game, but that was in a rotation decimated by injuries. With the Grizzlies returning to full strength, Jackson must improve his scoring efficiency, as the opportunities won’t be as plentiful as they were during his rookie campaign.

Jackson ended his rookie season with a bang as he set a new career-high for scoring. He stepped into the rotation early in January, but he really took off in March. Jackson was seen as a long-term project after being drafted in the middle of the second round in the draft. However, he has figured things out much quicker than expected. He should still be part of the Grizzlies’ rotation next season, though when they are fully healthy, he will come off the bench. That likely won’t be a role that results in him providing much fantasy value, but he still has a ton of upside and holds a ton of value in dynasty formats.