Jaren Jackson Jr.’s NBA Summer League debut couldn’t have gone much better.
The same can’t be said for Trae Young.
Jackson, the fourth pick in the NBA draft, outshined No. 5 overall pick Young in their first NBA action. The 6-foot-10 Jackson had 29 points and shot 8 of 13 from 3-point range to help Memphis Grizzlies defeat Young’s Atlanta Hawks 103-88 on Monday night in Salt Lake City.
Jackson came out hot, hitting his first two 3-pointers and was 4 of 6 from beyond the arc in the first half, including a buzzer-beater from half court to give his team a 47-41 lead at the break. The 18-year-old Jackson showed the shooting stroke that made him a 40 percent 3-point shooter in college and scored 12 straight points during one stretch in the fourth quarter to help the Grizzlies pull away.
”I definitely felt hot at different spots during the game. If kind of felt surreal a little bit,” said Jackson, the team’s highest drafted player since Hasheem Thabeet.
While Jackson was doing just about everything right, Young was having a miserable debut.
Young, who averaged 27.4 points per game last season for Oklahoma, missed all nine shot attempts in the first half, including six 3-pointers. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year struggled to recover after air-balling his first two shots and finished with 16 points on 4-of-20 shooting.
He was 1 of 11 from beyond the arc.
GRIZZLIES 103, HAWKS 88
Kobi Simmons had 19 of his 21 points in the first half and finished 8 of 13 from the field for Grizzlies, while first-round pick Jevon Carter chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds.
Tyler Dorsey led the Hawks with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Omari Spellman, one of Atlanta’s three first-round draft picks, had a solid showing with 11 points and six rebounds. Their other first-round pick Kevin Huerter did not play because of a wrist injury.
JAZZ 92, SPURS 76
Georges Niang scored 17 points, while first-round draft pick Grayson Allen had 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Jazz defeated the Spurs 92-76 in Utah. Tony Bradley had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Spurs were led by Derrick White’s 22 points and seven rebounds.
San Antonio’s top draft pick Lonnie Walker struggled in his debut, limited to seven points while shooting 3 of 16 from the field.
WARRIORS 79, HEAT 68
Kendrick Nunn had 19 points and 11 rebounds to lead the world champions Warriors over the Heat 79-68 in a game played in Sacramento.
The Warriors’ first-round draft pick Jacob Evans did not play because of a bruised toe he suffered in practice last week.
Derrick Jones Jr. had a big game for Miami with 24 points and 11 rebounds, including a monster two-hand dunk after slashing down the lane. Bam Adebayo added 14 points and 14 rebounds.
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