MEMPHIS – In every sense of the phrase, Jaren Jackson Jr. has fashioned himself a student of the NBA game throughout his promising but injury-shortened rookie season.
Patience has been his hardest lesson to learn.
“I’m not resting on anything,” Jackson said of his debut journey through the league. “There’s still so much to learn. I’m glad I was able to go through the ups and downs of my first year to really feel it out.”
One feeling Jackson might be struggling to adjust to these days is abandonment. First, his solid rookie campaign was limited to 58 games for treatment of a lingering thigh bruise that shut down the 6-foot-11 power forward after the February All-Star break.