The Whiteboard: Jaren Jackson Jr. is taking charge

Last year, the Memphis Grizzlies were a skeleton of themselves. Seemingly every night, this team introduced us to basketball players we had never heard of, as the worst injury luck I've ever witnessed in a season forced constant G League callups and 10-day signings.

This year, the 24-13 Grizz aren't quite a skeleton — but the injury Gods aren't letting them be either, as Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Vince Williams Jr and Zach Edey have all missed significant time. If they're a skeleton, it's like a big, scary Elden Ring boss type of skeleton.

Jaren Jackson Jr hasn't missed any time, though, and Grizz fans are thanking the stars every day for that, as Triple J is having an All-Star season and keeping the Grizzlies afloat while his co-stars get back to full health. Averaging a career-high 22.7 points, Jackson's offensive arsenal looks fuller than ever before — and the numbers back that up.

Jackson Jr was always relatively comfortable in the "short mid-range" game — which is described as 4-14 feet from the basket by Cleaning The Glass — but in year six, he's excelling from that spot. A career-high 48 percent of his shot attempts are from that range, and the shots are going in more, too; he's shooting 52 percent from the short mid, also a career-high.

Aside from hitting those shots, he's also getting to his spots on his own more than ever before. Only 57 percent of JJJ's made shots have been assisted, which is a career-low, and in the same breath as Kevin Durant (53.6) and Joel Embiid (59.6). Memphis being able to rely on JJJ for self-created offense is a massive boon to an offense that is currently without its main creator, Ja Morant. That creation isn't tanking his efficiency, as JJJ's true shooting percentage of 59.5 is second in his career only to 2022-23, when he was an All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year.

Jackson Jr isn't carrying the third-place Grizzlies by himself, though — he's flanked by one of the oddest (that's a compliment) supporting casts in the entire NBA, a laundry list of players who will never be household named but have endeared themselves to Grind City already; Santi Aldama, Jaylen Wells, Scotty Pippen Jr, Jay Huff, John Konchar, Jake LaRavia and Brandon Clarke fill out this roster, each bringing a pretty distinct set of skills and giving head coach Taylor Jenkins infinite potential lineup combos. This team is 10-7 without Ja in the lineup because all of these guys have their "days," which is a sign of a well-coached, well-balanced team. Anyone can step up.

Wells, specifically, has been a revelation for the Grizzlies. A rookie who was playing at DII Sonoma State two years ago (a fact I love to say) Wells scored a career-high 30 points last week, grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds on Monday night and does something that about 96 percent of rookies don't do; he plays winning basketball. That's not a diss to other rookies — playing winning basketball is hard — it's a testament to how valuable Wells has been so early in his career.

The Western Conference is essentially Oklahoma City ... then everyone else. And while I don't think a full-strength Grizzlies team can beat OKC, I'm starting to think a full-strength Grizzlies team might deserve their own category between the Thunder and "everyone else." One team in the NBA is top five in both offensive rating and defensive rating... no, it's not Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. It's Jay Huff and the Memphis Grizzlies. Grind City, rise up!

NBA news and rumors roundup

• We should probably talk about the Indiana Pacers, who are 8-3 in their last 11 and have the seventh-best net rating during that stretch. Indy is hot, whether you're watching or not.

• Since Anthony Edwards talked about how he's wired to be aggressive, he's averaging 45 points per game. We believe you Ant, I promise.

• This Coby White dunk might not be "over" Victor Wembanyama... but it's "near" Victor Wembanyama at the very least, and that's still massively impressive.

Keon Ellis will clamp you

The laws of physics tell us that light can never be killed.

So when The Beam is lit, it cannot be unlit. No matter how hard you try to get rid of it, no matter how fast you run from it ... it will always be there, existing. The same can be said about Keon Ellis playing defense for the Sacramento Kings. He's always there. When a guard thinks they can turn the corner and drive to the hoop, Keon Ellis is there to cut them off. When a center thinks it's safe to turn away from the basket, Keon Ellis is there to swipe down at the ball. Running a fast break? Keon Ellis is probably lurking behind, plotting his chance to get his mitts on the ball.

This team has won five games in a row, and I don't know how many of those games it would have won if Keon Ellis didn't play in any of them, but it's definitely not five. Last night against Miami, the second-year guard recorded 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block in Sacramento's comeback, 2OT win against Miami, which became one of the best games of the year after looking like it was heading toward a blowout in the fourth quarter. Ellis has been a mainstay in Sacramento's lineup during this win streak, constantly making the right pass, taking the right shot, and making the right read on defense.

Ellis' stat line from last night is great — and it still somehow undersells his impact on last night's game. He was Sacramento's best player for sizable stretches, keeping the Kings alive with positive play after positive play.

Suddenly, the Kings are three games out of the five seed in the West. A season destined for disappointment has flipped in an instant. Now, these Kings think they can compete with anyone. Keon Ellis isn't the sole reason for that, but there appears to be a correlation here; more Ellis equals more wins.