Jaren Jackson Jr., who arrived via an eight-player deal with the Memphis Grizzlies last week, gave Utah Jazz fans a glimpse of what the team could look like next season in their 121-93 victory against an undermanned Sacramento Kings team on Wednesday night.
In his first game at the Delta Center, the new Utah Jazz star dropped a team-high 23 points and four rebounds on 8-for-13 shooting from the field in 22 minutes. After the game, Jackson thanked the home crowd for giving him a loud ovation.
“I was kind of just enjoying the moment… And I just wanted to enjoy it. It helped that we were winning. It helps me enjoy the game more. So credit to everybody getting me this win here. But yeah, it was dope. Great experience,” Jackson said via Deseret News.
“Credit to my teammates. It’s been a great week. It’s been crazy, but they made me feel welcome, comfortable, and I’m glad to get a home game in. It’s been lit, it’s been loud. I feel great,” he added.
Utah Jazz News: Lauri Markkanen reacts to the team’s jumbo starting lineup vs. Sacramento Kings
The Utah Jazz deployed an unusual starting five against the Sacramento Kings last night, as they had Ace Bailey, Isaiah Collier, Jusuf Nurkic, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr. They were able to maximize their size, as they outscored Sacramento 58-42 in the paint while having a 52-42 rebounding edge.
“His size. He can protect the paint. He can guard the perimeter. And then obviously on the offensive end, he’s a tough matchup with anybody,” Markkanen said about joining forces with Jackson. “With all three of us out there, we have a big lineup, and someone’s going to have a small (matchup) at times, and he’s one of the best ones to punish this matchup for sure.”
“When we traded for Jaren, obviously there’s so much talk about the player, and I’m very excited about the player, but what we’re trying to build as an organization and a program, Jaren’s character and who he is as a person is just as important, and I think that that has been really evident from the day that he got here,” head coach Will Hardy said.
