NBA Summer League is getting going for many teams and one is the Memphis Grizzlies, and former South Carolina star GG Jackson. With a new coaching staff overseeing the organization this year, Jackson got his first on-court taste of the action in the new regime.
And it went really well for him.
Jackson, who has played in 77 games over his first two years with Memphis, led the team in minutes played (28:14) in his team's opening game 92-80 win over Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The one-and-done player at South Carolina was 8-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-8 from behind the three-point line, to score 20 points, which tied for the most on the team. He also added three rebounds but didn't have any assists.
"Just really staying connected with my teammates," Jackson said in an on-court interview after the game. "I got in the paint sometimes and didn't really dish it out, but my teammates were there to lift me up."
New head coach Tuomas Iisalo was on the staff as an assistant coach when he took over as interim near the end of last season, and the interim title was eventually removed.
"With our new acquired coaching staff, there's a lot more explaining, which I'm all ears for," Jackson said. "I'm kind of like a sponge. We have a lot of different weapons on the team, so it takes a lot of pressure off of me."
Jackson is averaging 22.0 minutes per game over his first two seasons and hitting on 41.3 percent of his shots, including 35.2 percent from behind the three-point line. He's averaged 11.8 points per game with 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists over his two-year career.
The former Ridge View High School star got off to a slow start last season after having surgery to fix a broken right foot.
Jackson and the Grizzlies have two more games in Salt Lake City before heading over to Las Vegas. Memphis takes the court again on Monday at 9 p.m. against Utah. They'll play again the next day at 7 p.m. against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both games are on NBA TV.