Jaren Jackson Jr. has had foot surgery and will likely miss a lot of time this season. Jaren split his power forward and center minutes last season. With Kyle Anderson also gone, the Grizzlies will start the season with a surplus of PF minutes to fill as well as a few C minutes. Replacing Triple-J will take more than one player.
How the Grizzlies replace Jaren Jackson and what it means for Fantasy Basketball
steven adams
Steven Adams will play exclusively at center. He’ll likely start again for the Grizzlies and may take a few extra minutes, but not enough to make him a fantastic asset in most formats.
Highest Fantasy Ranking: 66* (2017-18)
Ranking last season: 180*
brandon clark
Brandon Clarke is interesting. As a rookie, he was the 80th ranked player in 9-cat (including TOs). Every year since its value has declined. And this past season he was in and out of rotation playing under 20MPG. Clarke will gain minutes because he can play both power forward and center. How many minutes are you requesting? While Jaren is away, I would expect Clarke to play at least 25MPG, which would make him relevant in the 9-cat roto leagues. And if he plays well, that could climb to nearly 30 minutes, which would make him a go-to player in this format. Brandon Clarke isn’t the perfect Triple-J replacement, but he might be the biggest beneficiary for fantasy purposes.
Highest Fantasy Ranking: 80* (2019-20)
Ranking last season: 133*
Xavier Tillman
Xavier Tillman looked promising as a rookie despite not having much impact on the fantasy. Last season his minutes were cut which is not a good sign. Tillman could take significant minutes without making an impact for fantasy purposes.
Highest Fantasy Ranking: 220* (2020-21)
Ranking last season: 345*
The likeliest scenario for the Grizzlies to cover the minutes lead is to go small. Enter Dillon Brooks and Ziaire Williams. Will any of these guys replace the triple-J stats? There is no one-for-one replacement on the roster as Jaren is a rare talent. However, Dillon Brooks is an established commodity and Ziaire Williams showed some flashes as a rookie last season.
Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks looked fantastic for the first time in his career when he was on the pitch last season. The problem was that he missed most of the season due to injuries. Offensively, Dillon is nothing more than an avid shooter, but that’s not why he gets minutes. It’s his defense that earns him confidence, but that impact doesn’t really translate well to fantasy ends. His improvements in fantasy came from field goal percentage, free throws, assists and points. It’s possible that Brooks will make the top 100. He needs to improve his shot selection. Attacking and shooting more fouls will reap benefits by increasing the weight of his good free throw shot. And the major leap for fantasy could be assists. Dillon Brooks won’t replace triple-J, but if Grizzlies go small, it could inflate Dillon’s tally stats
Highest Fantasy ranking: 122* (2021-22)
Ranking last season: 122*
Ziaire Williams
Ziaire Williams is 6’8″ tall, so if the Grizzlies want to play without a power forward, Ziaire might just be the beneficiary. Now, I have to warn you that his rookie stats weren’t exactly fit for the fantasy. Young players often make huge strides that weren’t predictable. Ziaire improved his shooting in the second half of last year’s season. When you go from a below-average three-point shooter to a pretty good one, it’ll net you minutes. And if Ziaire keeps shooting mid-30s out of three like he did after the All-Star Game, he’ll gain minutes. As I mentioned, his game wasn’t ideal for fantasy, but if he becomes a better passer and rebounder, he may well be relevant for fantasy this season. Now, I’m not suggesting you draft him in standard leagues, but he should be on your watch list. For you deep leaguers, feel free to pick up a flyer on him.
Ranking last season: 311*
There won’t be just one player stepping in and replacing Jaren Jackson, but there are plenty of Grizzlies guys who get interesting while Jaren Jackson Jr. is out.
*Stats of 9 cats per game
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