What happened to GG Jackson? Why Grizzlies wing was benched vs Thunder

Memphis Grizzlies wing GG Jackson showed signs of a potential breakout season during the preseason.

The 6-foot-9 forward was getting downhill on offense, knocking down 3-pointers and speaking openly about his commitment to becoming a better defender.

But Jackson’s role has changed quickly.

After playing regular rotation minutes through the first seven games, Jackson was benched in the second half of the Grizzlies’ Nov. 4 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He was replaced by forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said earned more playing time because of his defensive intensity and energy.

It was fair to wonder whether Jackson would get his role back two days later against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, Grizzlies guard Javon Small entered the rotation, while Jackson did not play in Memphis’ 128-97 loss to the Thunder.

Memphis has relied on many of the same rotation players early in the season when they’ve been available. Jackson is the first player who began the season as a regular contributor to see his role drastically reduced.

“We felt like with Javon Small, having a second ball handler there on the court (and) a second guard, I think those units have been pretty good for us,” Iisalo said. “Didn’t have a big impact today on the overall score. We saw some burst there, but overall that was the idea behind it.”

Jackson is averaging 7.4 points in 15.6 minutes per game. He is shooting 39.6% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range.

His current box plus-minus, a statistic that estimates a player’s impact on team scoring margin per 100 possessions compared with a league-average player, is minus-6.0. That would be a career low for Jackson.

The offensive issues that surfaced against Oklahoma City — Memphis shot 33% from the field and 22.2% from 3-point range — showed that adding another ball handler did not immediately solve the Grizzlies’ problems.

Still, Jackson’s reduced role appears to be more about the combinations Iisalo wants on the floor than one poor shooting night.

The question now is whether the change is temporary or a sign that Jackson is moving out of the regular rotation.

“It’s tough,” Grizzlies forward Jerami Grant said. “It’s tough anytime your role changes over and over. All we can do is talk to him and try to keep him engaged in the game.”

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What happened to GG Jackson? Why Grizzlies wing was benched vs Thunder