NBA Draft scout Rafael Barlowe talks GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies young core

NBA Draft scout Rafael Barlowe talks GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies young core

The Memphis Grizzlies didn’t get a win on Thursday 118 103 loss to the Minnesota tber wolves we’re going to talk about a little bit of that but I also got a special guest for y’all today we got a special guest Rafael Barlo is here to talk NBA draft prospects in

Particular GG Jackson everybody’s want to talk about GG what he’s done lately for the Memphis Christal we got the right man who’s kind of projected what GG Jackson can be a lot longer than many of you so we’re gonna talk about that coming up right here on locked on

Grizzlies you are locked on Grizzlies your daily Memphis Grizzlies podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every Day what’s going on everyone and welcome back to locked on Grizzlies I am your host today the Michael Cole beat writer for the Commercial Appeal right here in Memphis Tennessee joined again as I said in the opening by Rafael Barlo this is the man when it comes to scouting uh in

The NBA very happy to have him on the shoulder the director of scouting at NBA Big Board he’s also the host of locked on NBA draft so you know the Grizzlies might have a high draft pick later on this season so you just head over to

Locked on NBA draft and this is the man who can break it all down for you but Rafael thank you for joining us today yeah no problem thanks for having me on I really appreciate this opportunity to to talk basketball especially for like the the Grizzlies

Fans I know basketball is is huge in the Bluff City man it’s huge it’s huge uh basketball is what we eat sleep live all day uh when you look at those uh those ratings from the NBA Finals pretty much every year Memphis is all the way in the

Top is in the top five top 10 and you know the Grizzlies aren’t usually in the finals like this is this is just a basketball City all around but uh we got Rafael here today and also everyone today’s episode is brought to you by priz picks remember that this the

Easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports go to priz pics.com lockon NBA and use the code in all lowercase locked on NBA for a first deposit match of up to $100 now let’s talk some basketball uh the Grizzlies as we said we we’ll start

Show off talking about the loss on last night against the Timberwolves strong start for Memphis overall uh but they lost 118 to 103 Jaren Jackson Jr 36 points in this performance harmed by foul trouble pretty much limited uh I mean and basically what we saw was pretty much how this season is gonna

Play out for the most part uh with the Grizzlies jiren Jackson junior carrying a high you know a heavy load uh he went out the game third quarter I thought the Grizzlies looked strong Luke Canard 15 points in the third quarter I think he knocked down four triples uh in that

Stretch and then in the fourth quarter it just wasn’t sustainable uh the Grizzlies were able to survive when jiren picked up his fourth foul you know in the third quarter but when he picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter Mike connley uh former Grizzlies

Uh former Grizzlies here for 12 years and a legend in Memphis a big fourth quarter 80 run Anthony Edwards 26 points in the second half and that’s just too much for uh this team that’s playing without Desmond Bank playing without John Morant playing without all these offensive weapons but since we got

Rafael in the in the building here we I gotta ask you a question that you know a lot of Grizzlies fans are are kind of um settled in from about here and and this is the thing the Grizzlies now as the roster is currently constructed especially in this game against the

Timberwolves we we just mentioned how dominant jiren Jackson Jr was 36 points for jiren Jackson Jr but this is is the problem I think with the Grizzlies right now uh David Rody first round pick you know a couple years ago eight points Off the Bench you know Santi Alo Pro

Provided 13 points but shot five of 14 from the field another former first round pick who you can argue getting late in first round that’s probably a hit but David Rody uh zire Williams is the big one zire Williams two points off the bench in 12 minutes one of five

Shooting and I want to talk to you a little bit about desire Williams in particular because just to be honest with you a lot of Grizzlies fans have have kind of given up at this point they they’ve tried at the beginning of the Season uh to hold on to the Hope z z

Williams said before the season that no one has worked harder than me in the off season and what we saw is he went out in the preseason won the starting job at the beginning of the season and now you see he’s playing 12 minutes going back through the draft

Process when you evaluated Z Williams and when you look back to from then to what he’s become now uh are you surprised at his development you know at this point is this kind of on par for what you thought he would be like what’s kind of your sense of Z Williams who was

A festar going into Stanford you know played you know High Caliber basketball uh in in high school and you know became a top 10 pick for the Grizzlies but he hasn’t quite put it together yet yeah I don’t know to say this without sounding like a a hater or I

Told you so yeah zier was a a tough EV Val for me coming out of out of Stanford because I thought he went where’d he go 10 was he I thought he went 10th strictly on his high school resume because at Stanford he he wasn’t good to be honest with you he like

37% from the floor 29% from three and I remember talking to different people that were really high on him and they mentioned oh it was the co year Stanford they because of the the strict Co rules in California Stanford was practicing without a home and then he I

Think he got into a an accident riding a bike or something like that before before the season started he had this big bulky knee brace y so it was kind of like all the inefficient numbers and and his his honestly it’s poor play it was

Like it was an aster by it because they had so many different excuses so for me it got to the point where I was like you know what okay maybe I’m being too hard on him maybe I’m missing it because everybody was was high on him but I

Wasn’t and then I start to turn corner but the the lesson I learned from that which it kind of relates to Gigi in a sense is just stick to your guns like if there’s something that you believe I mean it’s okay to be wrong because I mean the NBA teams get it wrong

And so um I I’m I’m not shocked at all because I thought that his high school resume propelled him into a a top 10 pick not what he did on the college level if you go based off of what he did in college then I don’t think he would

Have went that high but we’ve also seen guys that you know Payton WatchON for example only a like three points per game and he’s playing well so this is what makes the draft so intriguing for me and it’s such a a hit or miss like you don’t you just have to project and

Hope you get it right yeah exactly you project and you hope you get it right and uh that that draft in particular I tell you what a lot of people in the Grizzlies lore like look at Trey Murphy over there and he he went with the Grizzlies original pick and and every

Time he knocks down those three-pointers against the Grizzlies uh they kind of look at it you know as man that that could have been you know he could have been the guy playing alongside of J and Dez and whatnot but uh since we’re that would be a dangerous

Lineup man that’s the one that kind of the one that got away but so you look at the rest of this grizzly young I want I want to kind of just give you the floor a little bit see if anyone of course we’re gonna talk a little bit about GG

Jack a lot about GG Jackson going forward and show but the Grizzlies have a lot of young guys right now and we’re still trying to figure out who’s part of this team longterm uh you know Vince Williams Jr just earned a full contract uh he actually had a good start

Yesterday against Anthony Edwards held him two points in the first half then Anthony Edwards got a little bit more aggressive and you know scored 26 in the second half but you got Vince Williams Jr he mentioned Santi Alama a little bit earlier David Rody and Jake lvia were

The first round picks a couple years ago that both you know in a sense have kind of been underwhelming uh what is your thoughts on the rest of the Grizzlies young Corp I mean excluding me you still can include J Dez and jiren in there but

We know those guys are kind of set in stone but that second tier of uh Grizzlies uh young Court players what what are your thoughts on those guys anyone in particular well one this is the opportunity for them to figure it out like this is

A a trial run in a sense for for next year because the wings are for the most part they’re I mean outside of Jake they’re they’re healthy they’re playing and so I think it’s going to be a situation where whoever plays well the last 40 something games of the season I

Think they can feel good about about being on the roster next year but they’re they’re all in like this this weird situation in a sense because they’re first round picks so usually with a first round pick you want to give them the opportunity to develop but I

Don’t know too many teams where they have multiple guys that were first round picks and recent drafts that all play like the same position they they have different games but they’re all fighting for like the same position position or spot on the roster as a three and a four

So it’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out yeah for sure you mentioned those guys fighting for those spots at the three and the four and there’s one guy in particular I know Grizzly fans are going to be real excited about these next couple segments

I talk about we got to talk about GG Jackson who didn’t have the greatest of games against the temple wolves but I think that’s perfect that lines up exactly with what we’re about to talk about here but again Rafael Barlo was someone who really really really dived

In on the ggj tape head of the draft we’re going to talk about that coming up here on lock on Griz but before we get to that uh today’s episode is brought to you by eBay Motors because look eBay po eBay Motors is the place you go uh to

Make your parts fit see look our guy Josh Lloyd over there has picked out uh the picks of the weeks on eBay Ebay’s guaranteed fit fantasy pcks of the week and guess what one guy who he has listed on there is GG Jackson look Memphis needs some shot creation right now and

GG Jackson is one of those guys who could do it he just had a down game but he’s shown the flashes he should be someone that managers can look at to grab out as Memphis continues to use him a little bit more there go a couple other guys out there how about Marvin

Bagley right just got the start over there with Daniel Gafford out right now uh had a big double double for the Washington Wizards they lost against the Knicks but that’s another guy that you should look at out there as you look to grab players these are the fantasy picks

Of of the week Josh Lloyd from locked on fantasy basketball is going to help you with your fantasy championship and eBay Motors knows a championship team is about each player being in a perfect fit and guess what it’s the same way with your car I always go back to my 2001

Honda Accord when I talk about this I needed a certain part I needed a certain part on my car and eBay Motors was right there when I needed my alternator to be fix my junior year of college with over 122 million parts for your number one ride of that

Vehicle you can make sure everything runs smoothly too brake kits LED headlights roof rack bumpers whatever you need eBay Motors has it and it with eBay guaranteed fit it’s guaranteed to fit your ride the first time every time or you just can get your money back and

Plus look at these prices it’s easy man it’s easy so keep your ride die vehicle alive at ebaymotors.com eBay guaranteed fit it’s only available to us customers eligible items apply in exclus incl iions apply as well coming up on locked on Grizzlies we’re g to talk GG Jackson

And his Outlook with the Grizzlies so stay tuned for that welcome back to locked on Grizzlies everyone I Am demichel Co beat wrer for the Commercial Appeal here in Memphis Tennessee joined by Rafael Barlo uh the head of scouting at NBA Big Board as well as the host of

The lock on NBA draft podcast so make sure you go check out his content in those places as well but I had to bring Rafael on today and and here’s the thing I remember I think it was it’s been a little bit it some months ago but Rafia I remember seeing

You you were someone I saw that said if GG Jackson was in the 2024 NBA draft class uh this upcoming draft class here in June that he would be one of the top picks or potentially even the top pick in that draft class and we talked a little bit about this

Recently and you you basically double down on that uh what makes GG Jackson in your mind such a tantalizing Prospect you know for the Memphis Grizzlies going forward yeah I’ve been a fan since I the first time I saw him play 69 and even though he’s he’s played well in in the

Minutes that that he’s received with the Grizzlies except tonight tonight was a you know it was a rough game against against the Wolves but he’s a 69 34 that is a excellent ball handler and I don’t think Grizzlies fans have really had the opportunity to see him

Create his own shot off the dribble he’s kind of been limited to spotting up in the corner he’s been hot from from three yeah I don’t know if that’s sustainable even though I think he’s a good shooter but his real strength is been able to create off the dribble get to his pullup

And create mismatches with his size and his ball handling and his offensive creativity and I I really lean towards guys that can get their own shot I’m a big fan of of shot makers and so that’s what really intrigued me about Gigi when I first saw him play when he was in high

School yeah and because the question everyone keeps going back to is how did this guy fall to 45 in the draft if you look at the GG Jackson profile like yes you know we know uh this guy was the number one ranked player in in this

Class I think it was class of 2023 coming out of high school initially he committed to North Carolina and he decided to reclassify so it I don’t think we talked about the story here uh uh on locked on Grizzlies but a couple days ago uh when the Grizzlies played

The Warriors after the game he and Stephen Curry you know had a little conversation and that conversation was centered around GG Jackson being Uninvited quote unquote Uninvited to the Under Armour Camp because he reclassified and you know Steph Curry’s Camp was I guess they needed those

Invites for the class of 2023 kids so I guess he used that as motivation in that you know that 20 that 20 plus Point uh performance that he had against the Warriors but what I want to get back to now is GG Jackson before the NBA because that’s the question everyone has like

How did he fall to 45 if he he was a number one pick a projected number one pick you know number one overall recruit uh in his class he played for Team USA was one of the best players you know on the Team USA under under 17 under 18

Team uh why do you think GM’s allowed him to fall to to the 45th pick to the Grizzlies that’s the million-dollar question I don’t I don’t know I mean like Ray Charles could see the talent like he’s so talented so gifted he was ranked highly for a reason I mean even

As a a freshman at South Carolina he put up good good numbers the game that stands out to me was the game against Alabama where he went heads up with with Brandon Miller they both had strong performances and even though they were both freshman last year Brandon Miller

Was at least 18 to 24 months older than Gigi I mean gig is the youngest player in the NBA right now so the way I I saw it is like all right if if a team selects him high and I had I’m on record of saying I would have taken him in the

Top five in in 2023 I mean he’s two years younger than the Thompson Twins and so if if you look at it from that perspective imagine what Gigi would have looked like if he were a 20-y old freshman in college basketball he started off the season at 17 and in this

Era of guys reclassifying I mean there’s like some Juniors that are 17 years old yeah and gii was playing some some SEC games he turned 18 in December so he it may have been one or two but he played some some big schools as a 17 year old

So projecting like longterm and and seeing like what he was doing and the success he had at such a young age I think it was it would have been easy to to project all right where’s he gonna be when he’s 20 because when he’s 20 he’ll

Be in what year two yeah yeah and this is a familiar position for Grizzlies because jiren Jackson Jr you remember when he was drafted he was one of the youngest players uh in his draft class at the time I think he had a September birthday uh but he was one of the

Youngest players in his draft class and we see now jiren Jackson Jr is still only 24 years old and and people you know get surprised by that but that’s because you know he was so young and so that’s kind of what we’re seeing a little bit and we’re probably going to

See with GG you know he just turned 19 you know in mid December and whatnot so the last question here kind of as we reflect on what he was before we get to the Future uh how much stock did you put into and I I mean we have a clue since

You you had him top five you know on your board but how much stock did you put into the year he had at South Carolina you know the numbers weren’t great from a efficiency standpoint and whatnot he was scoring the basketball there but as compared to again what we

Saw in high school and then the one year at South Carolina how did you kind of evaluate those two things as you put together you know his projection for the NBA yeah I thought it was risky in a sense for him to go to South Carolina if

He goes to North Carolina where he originally committed the sample size is a lot smaller he’s playing a role on the team that just what they went to the final four the year before so he’s not going to be featured with Caleb love and Armando Bott and those guys he goes to

South Carolina is pretty much the keys to the team and it’s weird because even though the numbers weren’t efficient and South Carolina was losing it was actually held against him and as a person that eats sleeps and breathes the NBA draft I’m looking at this this G

League ignite team right now they have two guys that some people think could be top five picks right and they’ve lost like nine or 10 games in a row and it’s not being held against them like they’ll hold it against a college kid and of course you know people say well the G

League is tougher than College okay that’s fair but it was held against a 17year old who was inefficient but it’s not going to be held against guys who are playing for the ignite who are and and I watched the games a lot of their points and their their numbers are are

Numbers that they’ve put up when the team is down by 20 I mean they lost a game by 50 and so on so I just think that that it was it’s just people just overthinking it in a sense and and because the numbers weren’t efficient and I mean Gigi had some moments where

Teams question his maturity because of the body language and so on but I mean I think that’s something that they’re gonna end up regretting down the line yeah pass I should say that’s that’s the way it’s looking you know the Grizzlies drafted him with the 45th pick they’ve

Had some good luck with that pick uh in the past I believe that’s the same exact pick where they got Dylan Brooks in the second round who went on to you know by the end of his time in Memphis was an all defensive player and it was a you

Know was a complicated time in Memphis but at the end of the day he he left his Mark there and he was a big part of multiple 50 win team so if you get you know uh that type of production and then some from Gigi then the the future is

Definitely bright and speaking of the future we’re about to talk about that as well we just reflected on how did Gigi fall into the lap of the Grizzlies and we got to talk about the future outlook of this 19 year old uh Prospect for Memphis before we get to that we got to

Talk about another sponsor for today’s episode and that is prize piics look prize picks is the largest daily fantasy sports platform in North America we are the easiest and most exciting way to play Da fantasy sports and look it’s simple it’s you and the numbers you don’t got to worry about other people

It’s just you and the numbers you pick more than or less than on two to six player stat projections and guess what the money is gonna just start coming your way it’s all that simple and look with the basketball season here you can now you can do combo projections and and

Combo projections across multiple Sports you can do football and basketball specials you can do something like Travis Kelce at 10 and a half combo of three-pointers made in receptions with a player like LeBron James you could do something like that I saw priz picks put up a a combination recently where you

Could do LeBron James and bronnie James uh points together so go check all of that out at prpic and one of my favorite things about prospects is Prospect even offers a reboot policy so that you’re your entries stay in play even if one of your players gets injured for the

Football fans out there we know a lot of football injuries happen early in games and if you have a player who exits the game in the first half or in basketball if you exit in the first half as well uh that player can be rebooted and prize

Picks is the only daily fantasy sports platform with the injury insurance policy so make sure you go check that out at prize.com all you got to do is go to prize.com lockon NBA use the code locked on NBA for a first deposit match of up to $100 priz picks is the only

Place you can take advantage of those type of opportunities coming up next on locked on Grizzlies we got to talk about the long-term Outlook of GG Jackson uh he is one of the most tantalizing prospects on the Grizzlies so let’s get into that right here on locked on

Grizzlies welcome back to locked on Grizzlies everyone recapping the show so far we talked about the Grizzlies and Tim wvs in in that game jiren Jackson Jr Sean for Memphis but didn’t get too much help Luke Canard had a good third quarter jiren also was limited by foul

Trouble and whatnot and we talked about GG Jackson in the second segment how did he get to the Grizzlies at 45 remember if Memphis Grizzlies traded their first round pick GG Jackson was their only pick up in the draft until that point he’s the only player he’s the only

Rookie on the team right now for the Memphis Grizzlies so now the question is what happens from here if you look at the contract situation GG Jacks is on on a two-way contract uh breaking news that’s not going to last too much longer like it’s if if he stays on this

Contract you’ll be a restricted free agan after season we know how all that plays out uh Memphis is gonna take care of this kids gonna take care of this situation eventually but the next question is how does he project around this team you look at this team right now you got John

Morant you got Desmond Bane you got jiren Jackson Jr Vince Williams just got elevated from a two-way deal and then you got those veterans right you got the Brandon Clarks who’s about to enter you know his second contract with the Grizzlies uh Stephen Adam will be on the

Final year of his deal but we know when healthy the impact that he can have on the team uh Luke canar so much more around this team but there is a place for what GG Jackson brings as Rafael alluded to earlier the shot creation is

Very plus and if you look at all those guys that I just mentioned on the Griz outside of jaran and Desmond Bane as of recently remember last season Desmond Bane was not an efficient isolation score this year you got a little bit better but ggs gives Memphis something

That they need but the question is how does he fit into this team long term and just what is his long-term position and that’s why we got Rafel on the show today to talk about that so RAF you you mentioned the shot creation and and the

Size and all of those you know those I guess the tools that he possesses uh what’s your take on like how long do you think it takes someone you know of GT’s stature his caliber his skill set to kind of put those things together from a projection standpoint like what do you

See him becoming you know I’m a little bit biased so I’m probably not the best person to ask this question because I you know I’ve been on records and I would have taken him top five in last year and and number one in in 2024 if he

Stayed as in his original class I think that he could be I mean down the line I think he could be a very very valuable piece simply because the Grizzlies have I mean they got their main guys they got their their dudes you got J you got Bane you have um

Jiren Jackson Jr I think they may need like another shot maker a guy that can you know make something happen late in the shot clock which I think that’s going to be gig’s role long term but in order for him to to get to that role

He’s GNA have to knock down open shots and be able to play as a floor spacer which in theory is really not his greatest strength and so I think it’s a good sign in a sense that he has been able to scale down his game I think one

Of the knocks and concerns that people had about him was he had such a high usage and he played such a you know a ball dominant quote unquote ball dominant role at South Carolina that a lot of people that were like not as high on him thought oh yeah his game doesn’t

Translate to playing in a reduced role well we didn’t get a chance to see him play in A reduced role so I think he’s slowly it’s only it’s small sample size but I think he’s slowly proving proving that that theory wrong and so with all that being said if he can knock down

Open shots and play a complimentary role then I think as he gets stronger and and and develops then you’re going to be able to see everything that he can do so I think can be a big part of the Grizzlies future I look at Memphis as like a smart

Franchise I mean they’ve had some some wins you know you went back to Dylan Brooks I mean I’ve jokingly said like they were able to get Dylan Brooks a starter a very you know a highlevel starter on a 15 win team for like a Snickers and a

Coke I don’t even remember what the Rockets traded him for on draft night but it was definitely a very lopsided deal and so um but yeah I do think that g will be a big part of of memphis’s future he just has to be a star in the complimentary role

When when everybody’s healthy yeah and and to go off that point you know we were in the locker room joking at the I think it was the Warriors game where I was messing with him about swinging the ball you know his teammates have gotten

On him in the past they say oh you know sometimes when the ball gets the GG it’s not yeah it’s not coming back after that but that was kind of the summer league talk you know when we were out in Vegas and whatnot and if you watched him in

The G league and see he started to make the extra pass a little bit more he started to see things a little bit better and and now you see in the road kind of with the Grizzlies and I think that’s kind of why he’s gonna have games

Like he did against the temple wolves and then he has a game like he did against the Warriors where he makes five eight three-pointers and then the next game against the temple wolves he doesn’t really score as much because again like you said he’s gonna have to

Grow into that that role uh where he’s he’s the guy who says everybody get out of the way and it’s six seconds on the shot clock and he goes and gets you a bucket but from a fit perspective how do you like Memphis you know for him do you

Think you know this situation is better than for example him going to a Detroit and and playing 25 to 30 minutes uh consistently or you know uh Washington or whatever the case may be but how do you like the fit in Memphis where he

Goes down plays you know on a W on a two-way contract he’s playing with the Memphis hustle down in the G League now he’s getting a little bit you know time with the Grizzlies how do you think that situation kind of helps or even hampers whatever your opinion is of GG Jackson

Going forward you know it’s kind of hard to to to go against what happened because I think when it’s all said and done by the end of the year he could end up in a better situation than guys that went in the lottery I mean you look at

Jarus Walker I don’t even think there’s a clear path for him to get playing time um jet Howard in Orlando was playing in the g-league so I it just really all worked out which didn’t seem like it was even possible just three weeks ago and when when he first went to to Memphis

Obviously I thought dang they gotta steal but it’s GNA be tough for him to get some playing time yeah but I thought like it it can be used as a red shirt year for the Grizzlies like you you have them played with the hustle the the

Whole season and if I were like totally in charge of his development from the grizzly standpoint I would have told him to spend that season in the hustle work on you know playing off the ball but I would have had him like focus on being a playmaker making plays for others

Putting him in some pick and roll situations because he has the ball handling to to make it happen and there’s not really like a lot of pressure to like win on the g-league level so it’s supposed to be about developing so that would have been like

My game plan for him because I would have thought he would have been more valuable weapon down the line if he you know was um you know just been able to make plays for others and so on and knock down shots and so with all that being said the situation in Memphis is

Going to work out perfect I mean it’s unfortunate for the guys that were like ahead of him on the depth chart and so on but I mean you just look at at the path that was cleared out for him due to injuries and now he has an opportunity

To one get his contract converted he has an opportunity to to basically a trial run for for next year to be in their rotation and if he plays well I mean it’s it’s going to be a winning situation and you know fit is is is everything and like I mentioned you

Look at assur Thompson who went what fifth I think he’s an absolutely terrible fit in Detroit because in my opinion he’s best with the ball in his hand and in Detroit he’s not going to have the ball in his hands shooting is his biggest weakness and in Detroit it’s

Like they’re putting him in the corner which is making yeah you know teams not guard him and and Triple C so fit is important and I think for I mean it’s amazing how it turned out but gig is in a situation where he’s GNA get playing

Time and I think fit is going to be good for him because he’s he’s gonna have a role where he doesn’t have to be the guy if he can just knock down open shots it’s going to open up everything for him and if he can knock down open shots then

You’re going to be able to see everything that he can do so um I think the future is bright and and I think this the fit for him in Memphis is great even though it didn’t look like it just yeah maybe two weeks ago yeah the future

Is definitely bright for GG uh ra before we let you go let’s play a little quick game real quick let’s let’s let’s call it buy or sell and what we’re gonna do is I’m gonna throw three quick things at you and and you regarding GG Jackson and

You just tell me you buy it or if you’re selling it and you can briefly explain why you know if you want to in the process so uh let’s get that cooking real quick so uh GG Jackson longterm will be a four over a three you buy or

Selling uh yeah I think I mean closing game the closing lineup is more important than the starting lineup and so I think when you close games he’ll close at the four where I think that he he’ll have some advantages there but I also think you can play him at the three

Once he gets stronger and be able to post up so I think he’ll have some advantages at either spot but I would lean towards him being a four in a closing lineup gotcha uh right now defense is where GG Jackson according to the Grizzlies needs to grow uh the most

Uh GG Jackson will become above average defender in the NBA buying or selling I’m buying it it’s totally up to him I mean he has the physical tools to to be a really good Defender but you know some sometimes when a guy is so gifted on the offensive end that’s that’s where he’s

Going to put most of his focus and his energy but I think he has the tools and I think he could end up in a situation where he’s going to have to defend in order to get playing time and so I will say that he’ll he’ll be a plus Defender

That’s a good point uh Taylor Jenkins is is all defense and and people wonder why guys like zier and David Rody and those guys get on the floor over some of the the offensive options the Grizzlies John conar it’s because Taylor jenin really values defense last one put you on the

Spot a little bit on this one this is a little bit tougher uh GG Jackson by the time he is 22 years old he could be averaging 18 points per game bying the S oh that’s tough because I think it’s gonna totally depend on who’s on the

Roster at the time I mean things can change really fast I do think that he is going to be a 18o point per game scorer at some point in his career you know within the first five years I’m gonna say I’m gonna say no simply because I think

That it’s hard to be score 18 points per game as like the fourth option on a really good team and so I I expect J and Bane and and Triple J to to be on the roster for a while so I think he’s going

To have to to be at at best the fourth option early in his career but then again he’s 1922 so long from now you gotta think how fast things change in the NBA but yeah I’m gonna sell on that one just because I think this the Memphis Corp is gonna be

Together for a while yeah good point um the Memphis cor definitely John Mor is just starting his uh second contract so he’s under contract for the next five years Desmond Bay’s second contract goes into it kicks in next season so he’s under contract uh including this season

For the next six years and then jiren Jackson Jr has a couple years left on this deal but we know the extension talks will start cranking up very soon on that end so uh very good point there what’s crazy about that I just want to add something that if Gigi plays too

Well too early then he’s probably not able to stay at Memphis because they won’t be able to afford him that remind you you know I call that the Joe Johnson yeah that’s kind of when Joe Johnson early in his career I think he was in Phoenix James Harden is another example

When he Gilbert arenus in Golden State before he ended up playing with the Wizards all all good examples where Too Young Too Good too soon and that could happen that that potentially could happen as Memphis gets into the luxury tax uh next season locked on has launched the first ever National Sports

247 stream channel on YouTube lockon sports today is here for you 247 covering the top sports stories of the day with the local experts un locked on uh look locked on sports today is where you need to go uh to check it check out extra locked on National coverage

Because at the end of the day it’s the only 247 uh first ever National Sports 247 streaming Channel on YouTube so go to lock on sports today on YouTube and subscribe it’s the first ever National Sports 247 streaming channel oh Rafael we want to thank you man for joining us

Today unlocked on Grizzlies I said it at the top of the show but I want to make sure I give you uh the floor let every know where they can go check out all of your work uh because they’re Grizzly fans are going to be tuned in this year

Man it’s it’s this is potentially a lottery pick type year uh where can Grizzlies fans stay in tune with all your work yeah you can find me on first of all I’m on the locked on network and thank you for having me on but I I I am

The the host of the locked on NBA Big Board podcast and and it’s it’s weird because every year it’s like a fan base that that Tunes in and I was not not expecting the Memphis Grizzlies fan base to have any interest in in the draft in

The lottery this year but yeah I mean it’s it’s five days a week cover the draft I have three other co-hosts and then I have a newsletter nbig board.com it is a subscription based newsletter and I charge a subscription but I I write big boards articles with Intel

From scouts and I use the the the money from the subscription to travel a lot of it overseas and intern and I tell people all the time I saw Alama play in 2019 when he won the MVP of the u8s so I’ve been tracking him for

For a while so he actually won it over outr shinon so wow so I love to travel internationally and obviously I keep it with the guys in the States but that’s where the the subscription income goes as to my traveling and scouting as an independent Scout yeah for sure so

Grizzly fans you heard it here first um this is this is the man to check out all your draft C covers and we’re going to have them on locked on gz a little bit later in the year as well as we as we get into that point as we start breaking

Down all our draft coverage of this team but uh Rafel thank you for joining us again Grizz fans make sure you tuned in with us on next week as we’re going to break down all the games the Grizzlies now are in the stretch of seven games in

The next 13 days so a lot of game coverage coming for here on lock on Grizz but thank you guys for tuning in to lock on Grizz today remember you can continue to watch us everywhere you get your podcast Google podcast Apple podcast Spotify Stitcher wherever you listen wherever you watch locked on

Gisle is there and remember we’re are free and available wherever you get those podcast until next time I’m the Michael Co and we’ll see you on lock on graas

The Memphis Grizzlies fell 118-103 on Thursday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Most of the Grizzlies’ young core saw plenty of action due to injuries. In this episode, host Damichael Cole is joined by NBA Draft scout Rafael Barlowe to discuss the Grizzlies’ young core and the future of rookie GG Jackson.

This episode is brought to you by PrizePicks. The easiest and most exciting way to play Daily Fantasy Sports. Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code all lowercase lockedononba for a first deposit match up to $100

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
Jase Medical
Empower yourself when you purchase a Jase Case, providing you with a personal supply of 5 antibiotics that treat 50+ infections. Get yours today at jasemedical.com and use code LOCKEDON to get $20 off your order.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.

eBay Motors
For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

PrizePicks
Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel
Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED when you place a FIVE DOLLAR BET. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOGrizzlies?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

#MemphisGrizzlies #JaMorant #Grizzlies #NBA