GG Jackson Says He'd Cry Every Day Thinking He Didn't Belong In The NBA, Is Now Thriving With Grizzlies

GG Jackson has looked like a legitimate NBA player since sliding into the Memphis Grizzlies' rotation. While the rookie has very much looked the part, he had to overcome quite a bit of doubt along the way, and it turns out his biggest non-believer was himself.

Jackson, the youngest player in the NBA having only turned 19 in December, had a bit of a unique path to the Association. The Columbia, South Carolina native stayed home for his one season in college, becoming the highest-ranked recruit in program history. He showed serious flashes throughout his freshman year on a woeful South Carolina team but was also benched at one point during the season.

Reports of maturity issues and the simple fact that he was only 18 years old made some teams hesitant to draft him, but the Grizzlies called his name with the 45th overall pick.

Memphis' expectations for Jackson this season were essentially non-existent, but given the franchise's abysmal luck with injuries, his name was called and all a sudden he has 23 NBA games under his belt.

Based on his recent admission about his self-doubt, if you told Jackson last year that he'd be getting quality minutes in the NBA, he probably wouldn't have believed you.

In a sit-down with the Grizzlies, Jackson was asked what's one thing he's proud of himself for which led him to show off his honest side.

"Just not giving up," Jackson said. "When training camp started, even before that, when we were having open runs in the summer, literally every day I was going back home crying. It was so bad."

"I've never felt like I was bad at basketball before other than when I first joined CP3 and then when I got here. I was like ‘the gap between me and these dudes is crazy.’ But I stuck with it. I had to grind it out. I had to understand that yeah, you're young, but you're here for a reason."

Jackson didn't score his first NBA point until his fourth appearance in a game, an eight-point outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 18, but has flashed in a major way on a consistent basis since then.

After averaging just shy of 20 minutes of action throughout January, he's now averaging 27 minutes a night in the month of February and has five 20+ point games to his name. He's clearly been given the green light by Memphis' coaching staff in what is now a lost season, but is taking full advantage of his opportunity.