Why B/R was clearly wrong in their assessment of ‘biggest X-factor’ on Grizzlies

For years, the Memphis Grizzlies We were looking for a trusted player to serve as the primary winger in the rotation.

From the infamous Andre Iguodala trade in 2019 to the lottery-pick-worthy Ziaire Williams trade in 2021, Zach Kleiman and company have tried and failed on several different strategies in their attempt to find a solution at the third spot on their roster.

Funny enough, even though the franchise exudes the least amount of originality and flavor that typically accompanies its efforts in the search for a stable winger, it seems like it finally managed to find such a talent in 2023 second-round pick GG Jackson, who has emerged as a true difference-maker in his first campaign in the Grind City.

In 48 games played, the former Gamecock has been one of the lone bright spots in Memphis’ putrid season (27-55), averaging an impressive 14.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per night while shooting 35.7 percent from distance.

His efforts proved so captivating that he ended up being the only second-round pick named to All-Rookie team last year and has generated plenty of excitement about the progress his game could bring as he prepares for a highly anticipated sophomore year.

And while the hope heading into Year 2 is that Jackson can officially take that next step in his career trajectory and solidify his status as the future of the wing position for the Grizzlies, when it comes to narrowing down the team’s “biggest X-factor” in 2024-25, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report has seemingly left the 19-year-old out in favour of a brilliant new signing, Zach Edey.

While he readily admits that it’s generally “unusual” for a rookie to be considered an X-factor for legitimate playoff contenders, Hughes sees Edey as the perfect potential successor to the center role previously held by Steven Adams, who helped the Grizzlies to 107 wins from 2021-22 to 2022-23.

With the core trio of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane all returning to form, the main missing link in coach Taylor Jenkins’ rotation appears to be at starting center. However, with the 7-foot-4 behemoth now in tow, the potential for them to reestablish themselves as a 50-win team is pretty strong, especially if he can play to his strengths and, as a result, fill Memphis’ needs.

“If Edey can survive pick-and-roll defense, bludgeon opponents on the offensive glass and set screens, he’ll have a chance to replicate what former Memphis center Steven Adams did so well a few years ago. Better yet, Edey can free up Jackson as a roaming power forward on defense, a role he last played in 2022-23 when he won Defensive Player of the Year,” Hughes wrote.

In truth, seeing Edey play to his full potential — he comes to the conference after winning back-to-back AP Player of the Year awards and had 14 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in his only full game of Summer League — is something that will likely only benefit this Grizzlies team in 2024-25, but it’s safe to say he’s not as important to them reaching their full potential as Jackson.

Let’s not forget that when Morant, Bane and Trip-J were healthy and mostly on the court together, Memphis won four straight and was 6-3 with Jackson Jr. playing all five before their superstar cornerstone was injured for the remainder of the year after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Additionally, even when accompanied by solid interior strength like Adams and Jonas Valanciunas in previous campaigns, their ceiling has proven to be just a second-round appearance that ended in six games.

Edey appears to be better than many pre-draft projections suggested, but his arrival doesn’t seem to advance the potential of this unit. Instead, it stabilizes it and returns it to its pre-2023-24 form.

Having a guy like GG and his impressive scoring abilities included in this already lethal mix could prove to be a real blessing, and incorporating him as a secondary shooter and playmaker over the coming season will likely help prevent any real stagnation in offensive performance moving forward.

So while Edey is someone who will undoubtedly add much-needed stability and strength to their main rotation heading into 2024-25, there’s a good chance that it’s Jackson who will be the X-factor that gets Memphis to the levels they aspire to play at in 2024-25.