Second-year Memphis Grizzlies combo forward GG Jackson II, one of the youngest rookies in the NBA in 2023-24, enjoyed a breakout debut run. The 6-foot-9 swingman was one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise depressing year for Memphis, which weathered a flurry of injuries and suspensions to finish far short of its 50-win season stints in 2021-22 and 2022-23 when the club was one of the more exciting young collections of talent across the league.
Drafted with the No. 45 overall pick out of South Carolina, Jackson was the biggest beneficiary of all of Memphis’ injury woes last year, carving out a major rotation role with his athletic two-way ability. Across 48 healthy bouts (18 starts), Jackson averaged 14.6 points on .428/.357/.752 shooting splits, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks a game.
Jackson was named to the 2024 All-Rookie Second Team for his output.
Keyonte George #5 of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket against GG Jackson II #45 and Timmy Allen #4 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half of their NBA Summer League game at the Delta Center on July 6, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jackson’s broken right foot is set to be re-evaluated three months after his Sept. 5 surgery.
Chris Gardner/Getty Images
During a Dallas-area offseason workout this past August, Jackson broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot and had a corrective surgery on Sept. 5.
Read more: Grizzlies Forward Breaks Foot, Will Have Surgery
The 19-year-old is set to be re-evaluated three months following the surgery, which will significantly delay an encore performance on a reloaded Grizzlies squad angling for Western Conference vengeance.
To determine a timeline for Jackson’s reported ailment, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal spoke with Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Kenneth Jung.
Before he can work through rehab, Jackson will need to let the bone heal first.
Jung noted that the bone will need to heal across six to eight weeks. Thus, Cole projects that to happen around the end of October, i.e. after the start of the 2024-25 regular season.
“Basically, it’s like waiting for the paint to dry,” Jung said of the wait for the bone to heal. “And then from there, that last few weeks, you’re building up adding activity load to where it’s closer to basketball activity.”
Jung believes that the project of a three-month recovery window is broad enough that there’s a possibility Jackson beats that timeline.
“Three months is a pretty safe number,” Jung said. “He’s just got to be able to get into basketball-shape physically and mentally… Whether he’s back to full expectations of what the fans and coaches expect, that may be a different number.”
One X-factor for Jackson to watch out for, posits Jung? Overwhelming himself too early with lots of workouts, or too much of a focus on workouts with weight-bearing items.
“This is something that’s not a career-threatening injury,” Jung suggested. “Once you get it to heal, you should be back able to go on it full-go without any detriments going forward. Especially in a 19-year old.”
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