Jaren Jackson Jr.’s Painfully Obvious Weakness makes Jazz the perfect team for him

The smell of new cars from the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade hasn’t gone away yet and likely won’t until the end of the calendar year. It’s clear how much the former Defensive Player of the Year single-handedly helps the Utah Jazz on that end of the floor, but the Jazz are also perfect for him because they cover up his one Achilles heel: his rebounding.

JJJ has always been praised for the skills he brings, and he brings a lot. Defense, floor spacing and shot creation are all his calling cards. Something he is regularly criticized for is his rebounding. Despite being seven feet tall, Jackson is not only inadequate in his rebounding; he’s downright bad at it.

The highest rebound average he has ever had in his NBA career was 6.8 during the 2022-2023 season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s never eclipsed six rebounds per game before or since, and still a career-high 6.8 rebounds for a seven-footer? Yes.

That hasn’t gotten any better in Utah, but to be fair, that’s not entirely his fault since Utah hasn’t played him in any fourth quarter.

But the Jazz knew what they were getting into when they traded for him. In fact, they have the staff to cover up that problem.

Jusuf Nurkic was one of the The NBA’s best rebounders this yearputting him in the top 10 in rebounds per game with an average of 10.4 per game. He also averages just 26.4 minutes per game, showing the impact he has with limited playing time.

That kind of board presence helps keep JJJ’s weakness hidden throughout the game. There’s a possibility that acquiring Jackson could force Nurkic to leave, but keeping him would go a long way toward covering up Jackson’s one mistake.

The return of Walker Kessler will further alleviate the problem

Many are looking forward to when Kessler is expected to return from injury next season. Both he and Jackson should give Utah their most fearsome defensive duo in decades. However, Kessler also fits well next to Jackson because he is also one of the NBA’s best rebounders.

Kessler is better known for what he does on offense when it comes to rebounding, but he should still be able to single-handedly alleviate any concerns about Jackson’s shortcomings at the plate. Keeping Nurkic would make it even better.

This all has to do with a very mutually beneficial partnership between Jackson and the Jazz. Utah knew they weren’t recruiting the perfect player, but they got someone who was perfect for them and he went to a team that would mask his one flaw.

It’s hard not to think this could end up being the best trade in franchise history for these two reasons.