4 thoughts on Marcus Smart injury news
The Memphis Grizzlies will be without another key player for 3-5 weeks, as Marcus Smart will be out with a foot sprain.
The injury bug continues to strike for the Memphis Grizzlies, who seem to cannot catch a break:
Marcus Smart landed on Austin Reaves’ foot after closing out on a lob attempt in the 1st quarter of Tuesday night’s game against the Lakers.
So now, Smart joins Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, Steven Adams, and Luke Kennard — who’s listed with a bone bruise on his knee, I’m a smidge worried there — on the inactive list. That’s a quality starting 5, by the way.
This injury news feels grim with the Grizzlies’ 2-9 start, and a brutal part of the schedule on the way. Smart is getting acclimated to the Grizzlies’ system, but he adds value as a defensive stopper, event creator, playmaker, and streaky offensive player.
With the length of this absence, he’ll likely return roughly around the same time as Ja Morant.
Anyways, let’s hash out some quick thoughts on the ripple effects on the way in light of Marcus Smart’s injury news.
Desmond Bane needs a co-pilot (and some backseat drivers)
Desmond Bane is already handling a heavy bulk of the Grizzlies’ perimeter creation responsibilities, and the loss of Marcus Smart voids them of another creator.
More is about to be on his plate. Teams are noticing — switching their coverages up on him to move the ball out of his hands, and throwing their best defenders on him.
The Grizzlies need to spice up the offense to generate clean looks for Desmond Bane, as he’s their only source of consistently reliable production on the perimeter.
It starts with multiple initiators. Jacob Gilyard has been a pleasant surprise during this span, as the Grizzlies are scoring a team-leading 14.7 more points per 100 possessions with him on the court — per Cleaning the Glass. Though he’s limited due to his size, he’s a great organizer. Derrick Rose should be coming back soon. He has defensive deficiencies, but he’s good for the occasional offensive pop. John Konchar is reliable with the ball in his hands, rarely turning the ball over. Is this a time to throw a wing into the fire (more on that momentarily)?
The Grizzlies could use this time to explore Jaren Jackson Jr. handling more offensively as a creator, triggering their actions with him having the ball in his hands.
Who knows? Desperate times call for desperate measures. Creativity is needed to find some sort of spark offensively, but especially to allow Desmond Bane to continue this roaring start. He’s driving the Grizzlies’ offense at this point, and he needs a car-full amount of help to ensure a smoother ride through this stretch without Smart and Morant.
Who starts now?
The Grizzlies now have an open starting spot. Who takes it? Let’s run the tape on who to choose from?
David Roddy has been the best of the Grizzlies’ young wings. He provides rim pressure, but his shot isn’t there at the moment. He’s a beast at getting out in transition as well. He’s simply been the most impactful of the bunch too. The Grizzlies have a net rating of +7.8 points when he plays the 3, and they’re a +4.9 in those minutes when he’s with Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. He has the most pop of the bunch, providing the team with the highest upside.
Ziaire Williams may be the opposite, as the Grizzlies are 23.6 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor than off (per Cleaning the Glass). But maybe they can tap into whatever he provided in preseason? If he plays confidently like he did then, okay cool he’s the starting 3. However, he’s not playing with that same confidence right now, he’s turning the ball over like crazy, and he’s looking lost defensively. At the same time, given recent decisions, it wouldn’t be surprising if Taylor Jenkins rolled with him in the starting lineup to see if he can rekindle his confidence.
John Konchar isn’t the most enticing option, but he might be the most efficient option. The Grizzlies are 4.9 points better with Konchar on the floor than off, and score a blistering 9.7 more points per 100 possessions with him in the fold. He’s a ball-mover, covers a ton of ground defensively, and can provide help on the glass. He’s also shooting 43.8% from 3. He wouldn’t be a bad option.
The Grizzlies threw a curveball with Jacob Gilyard. Does Taylor Jenkins have another one with Santi Aldama? Aldama at the 3, let’s get weird! It’s a tough defensive draw for him, but he can add space and put the ball on the floor.
Luke Kennard would be an easy answer, but is facing an uncertain timeline with his knee bone bruise. If he’s back sometime after (or during) the weekend, he’s a no-brainer to start.
If I had to rank the possible options, it’d follow: David Roddy, Luke Kennard, John Konchar, Ziaire Williams, Santi Aldama.
Sink or swim time for the wings
The Memphis Grizzlies have invested a chunk of resources and assets into their young wings. They used the 10th pick on Ziaire Williams, traded up from 22nd to 19th (with another 1st-round pick) for Jake LaRavia, and moved on from De’Anthony Melton in a draft-night deal for David Roddy.
It hasn’t panned out as envisioned. It’s not time to give up though; in fact, it’s time to throw them in the deep-end for them to sink or swim.
This is a pivotal moment to provide playing time and opportunities to these 3 wings. One of three things could happen:
It doesn’t pan out, and it’s just marked as a miss. (ala, literally 2009-2016 of the Grizzlies’ draft record)
They provide a dose of upside and optimism. However, they become an antidote in Grizzlies’ history, a fun answer in Hoop Grids, and ultimately aren’t on an idealized version of this era’s basketball (ala, Wayne Selden and Kobi Simmons)
Playing time and opportunity is a springboard for a productive NBA career towards winning basketball down the road (ala, Dillon Brooks).
It’s a time to force-feed them any opportunities. Marcus Smart isn’t there, so it’s a good opportunity to guard All-Star/All-NBA level opponents any given night. Desmond Bane needs help offensively, so there’s on-ball responsibilities for the taken. The Grizzlies need 3-point shooting, and maybe one of them can find a groove.
(Quick note: if Kennard is out an extended time, they should really consider rolling with Jake LaRavia again to see if his G League shooting touch and confidence can translate).
The Memphis Grizzlies need some help with a loaded inactive list. The wing is their most glaring position of need. There are 3 young wings that the Grizzlies have invested in, and now is the time to see if the investment can pay dividends — by way of becoming a key cog of winning for the Grizzlies, or upping value for whatever may be next.
No, they’re not tanking
Tanking immediately hit the ‘X’ timeline.
It’s impossible for the Grizzlies to tank with Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. on the floor together. Even through this 2-9 start, and crushing inactive list.
Marcus Smart’s injury won’t signal a tank.
It’s a long season, and though the odds for the postseason may get smaller and smaller by the day, let’s just see what happens.
A “gap year” can happen even without a top pick.
Marcus Smart’s injury is a devastating blow to a Memphis Grizzlies’ team that have seen an inactive list become a screenshot more often than an ‘X’ post.
The next 3-5 weeks will be choppy waters to navigate, and the ripple effects from this injury are going to be interesting* to monitor.
*- I don’t know if interesting is the right word, though there are so many words that could describe it.
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