Jaren Jackson Jr. believes the Grizzlies’ veteran clause has reached its championship ceiling

Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies they returned to form as one of the better teams in the Western Conference. And the defensive star has one reason to explain why the team has the ceiling to compete for an NBA championship.

Jackson Jr. spoke live on ESPN’s NBA Today with reporter Malika Andrews, explaining why he believes the Grizzlies have a shot at the title. For him, he he attributes that to the team’s veteran lineup which grew during the years they played in the playoffs.

“You don’t see us with the mob in post-game interviews, and you don’t see us going completely crazy about everything, but it’s still there.” Swag is still there. “The bite is never going anywhere,” Jackson Jr. said.

“We’re just a little bit older, so it’s kind of like a ‘vet.’ Now we’re putting it together.”

With Jaren Jackson Jr., the Grizzlies have returned to form in the West

After missing the postseason last year with a 27-55 record, Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Grizzlies have made sure to get back on track with winning games.

The team is 26-15 on the season, holding the third seed in the Western Conference standings. They trail the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets for the top two spots.

They have the best offense in the NBA at 123 points per game and the fifth best offensive rating at 117.1. That’s the polar opposite of the last offense (105.8 points per game; 107.2 offensive rating) they had last year due to multiple injuries to key players.

Jackson Jr. played a big role in improving the team’s chances of winning. He appears to have entered his offensive prime as one of Memphis’ top options, averaging a career-high 22.7 points per game on 49.3% shooting from the field and 34.3% from the field. He also averages 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals.

What makes the Grizzlies’ success this year remarkable is that they continued to win without their star quarterback I Morant. Out of 41 games played, Morant missed 17 games as the team went 10-7 without him. He is he performs at a high level when he playsscoring 21.4 points, 7.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

The furthest they went in the postseason with Morant and Jackson Jr. was the 2022 playoffs. After beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games in the first round, they lost to eventual champion Golden State in six games during the West semifinals.

After their last playoff appearance ended in disappointment, falling in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers as a two seed in the first round, they will be looking to make sure their next postseason this time around is different.

After Friday’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, the Grizzlies will face the Timberwolves on Jan. 20 and the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 22.