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Grizzlies Insider: Jaren Jackson Jr. speaks from the heart
 
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Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. brings the ball up the floor during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz, Saturday, May 29, 2021, in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/John Amis)
 

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. brings the ball up the floor during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz, Saturday, May 29, 2021, in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Welcome back to your Grizzlies Insider, where we deliver the latest NBA news and analysis straight from Daily Memphian staffers Drew Hill, Chris Herrington and Geoff Calkins right into your inbox.

Writers note: The Grizzlies newsletter will go to once a week during the offseason.

Jaren Jackson Jr. spoke from the heart, and who could blame him?

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He didn’t answer the questions from reporters. He acknowledged he wasn’t answering them. But that didn’t seem to matter. 

“I know I’m good with these questions right now, but I’m really just giving y’all how I feel,” the forward said after the Grizzlies’ season came to a close Wednesday night in Utah following Game 5. “This is the realest it gets.”

Jackson opened with a monologue about how thankful he was to play with supportive teammates, especially during a season that was severely limited by his meniscus surgery recovery.

“I get to play with a bunch of guys that care so much about the game,” Jackson said. “It’s so refreshing to be around and they play so hard. I’ve seen them work so much behind the scenes. I get to see what you don’t get to see. It comes from a place of real joy and effort. It really translates through everybody. I’m so blessed to be a part of this team. They make it easy for me.”

“I can’t wait to put it all together,” Jackson added later, while also pointing out that he will get to spend this offseason working on basketball instead of strengthening his knee. 

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But what, exactly, does that entail? What are the areas of the game Jackson wants to work on the most? 

For now, he would like to keep that a secret. 

“I don’t even want to say it,” Jackson said. “I don’t want to say it. You’re supposed to work on everything. You’re supposed to key in on things for your team and for your game. There’s a lot of ways I can answer that, but at the same time I don’t want to give anybody hints at what I’m doing. I just want to show it with my game and express it when I get back out there. 

“So, everything. I love this game. It’s a shame that we have to stop playing because this is a safe space for us and a place we can go be ourselves.”


More from your Insider:


Ja Morant the focus of Moneybagg Yo’s new song ‘ROTY’

The Grizzlies star is powering into the world of hip-hop and film. 

Jazz take series with Game 5 win over Grizzlies

The Grizzlies’ season is finished following the blowout loss; Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant each score 27.

Calkins: ‘We’ll be back,’ says Morant. And Memphis can’t wait.

Yes, the Utah Jazz bounced the Grizzlies out of the playoffs Wednesday. But their 20th season in Memphis will go down as one of the most promising in franchise history.

 
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