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Michigan State Basketball: Jaren Jackson Jr. earns Summer League honors

By Connor Muldowney

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 06: Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies watches a 2018 NBA Summer League game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Charlotte Hornets at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Hornets defeated the Thunder 88-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 06: Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies watches a 2018 NBA Summer League game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Charlotte Hornets at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Hornets defeated the Thunder 88-87. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Former Michigan State basketball star Jaren Jackson Jr. had himself quite the showing in Summer League action, earning second-team honors.

Hold all of your Ben Carter jokes until the end of this article, please.

Must Read: MSU Football: Ranking 2018 opponents by difficulty

After being selected No. 4 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, the hopes were high for Jaren Jackson Jr. in NBA Summer League action and he didn’t disappoint.

The former Spartan decided to go the one-and-done route, admitting the decision to say ‘no’ to a second year in East Lansing was tougher than people may think. He made the right choice, going in the top-five and the Grizzlies look to have landed a future star.

In fact, their new big man averaged 11.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game in Summer League action, earning second-team honors along with No. 1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton.

Jackson Jr. first flashed his potential for stardom in his first Summer League game, dropping 29 points, including eight 3-pointers and he added a seven-block performance on July 14. Although his scoring numbers dipped after that first breakout game, his defense didn’t suffer one bit.

He looked like one of the best all-around bigs in NBA Summer League action, eventually leading to the Grizzlies trade of fellow Spartan Deyonta Davis. They felt good enough about their post play with the emergence of Jackson Jr. that they decided Davis wasn’t worth holding on to — he was a project for the past two years.

Along with Miles Bridges, Jackson Jr. looked like a future NBA star in Summer League action and the two could exceed expectations in year one.

Next: MSU Football: Post-spring 2018 game-by-game predictions

Jackson Jr. looks like the future of the NBA.

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