Jaren Jackson Jr. Reacts to Being Called 'Defensive Liability'

Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. has been receiving some criticism for his performance in Team USA's FIBA World Cup loss to Germany. Not the same defensive force in this tournament that he was in the NBA last season, Jackson struggled with fouling at times, which limited his overall effectiveness.

Also struggling on the glass as Team USA's lone big for many of his minutes, Jackson's rebounding was not where it needed to be. These struggles were placed under a microscope after Team USA was eliminated from gold medal contention, and Jackson was asked about being called a "defensive liability" by a local journalist.

"It's tough," Jackson said. "That's tough. It happened like 12 hours ago, so I was a liability? Defensive Player of the Year? That's tough."

Here’s Jaren Jackson Jr.’s response to criticism about his rebounding and being called a “defensive liability” by a local sports anchor/journalist. pic.twitter.com/TRLL6QeS2u
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) September 9, 2023

Jackson handled this question well, especially since he was being asked about the opinion of a local journalist - as opposed to an opponent, teammate, or coach. While some have criticized Jackson for not elaborating more on his play, the question wasn't framed in a way that really allowed for that. Asked for his reaction to being called a defensive liability, Jackson was honest, saying it's tough - especially after winning the Defensive Player of the Year award last season.

While Team USA did not send their best possible roster to the World Cup, this was a disappointing result for a group that expected to win gold.

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