Josh Jackson says he channeled his energy ‘the wrong way’ on Suns

After Josh Jackson failed to develop as expected with the Phoenix Suns and he had a rash of off-court issues, the team traded the No. 4 pick in the 2017 draft to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of a salary cap dump.

Jackson’s on-court struggles with the Suns included a team-high 15 technical fouls in the 2018-19 season. He addressed his time on the Suns with The Undefeated as part of an article discussing his performance with the Grizzlies’ G-League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, this season.

“I felt like I was a little bit out of control,” Jackson said. “I had a lot of crazy turnovers and shots because I was rushing and going fast. I was eager to make things happen. We were losing a lot of games and I was channeling my energy the wrong way. It should have been into bettering my game and making my team better.”

In his second season with the Suns, Jackson shot 41.3% from the field and 32.4% from behind the arc. He averaged 2.2 turnovers per game, which was tied with Indiana Pacers big man Domantas Sabonis as the most for any player who played fewer than 26 minutes per game.

Over Jackson’s two years on the team, the Suns had just 40 wins and 124 losses.

Underlying issues within the organization were a larger part of that record than Jackson himself, and the forward believes the organizational discord contributed to his developmental struggles.

Head coach Earl Watson was fired three games into Jackson’s rookie year and interim head coach Jay Triano was not retained the following year. Phoenix hired a first-year head coach in Igor Kokoskov, then fired general manager Ryan McDonough nine days before the start of Jackson’s second season.

“It definitely matters, especially for a young player. That’s all you really know when you are coming in,” Jackson said. “That is your first experience in the NBA and it’s tough … Every coach is pretty much different. I was learning new terminology (with each). I was seeing new players pretty much every week from the G-League, trades and guys getting waived. It was a lot of change and hard to get adjusted to.”

Jackson and the Grizzlies created a plan to help the forward fix his reputation and develop as a player in the G-League, where he has played all season.

He has helped the Hustle start the year 17-4 while averaging 20.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists through 19 games. He is also shooting better with a field goal percentage of 45% and 3-point percentage of 37.6%.

His suspension Dec. 9 due to missing a team meeting, according to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, was a setback, but Jackson told The Undefeated he’s been growing.

“It’s been a learning experience. That’s what life is,” Jackson said. “Good or bad, you take both and you learn from it. That’s all I have really been doing. I try not to focus too much on the bad because that can really mess you up mentally and discourage you. I’ve been in a really good place. I have been just focusing on getting better at my game, becoming more of a professional and getting a routine.”

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