Grizzlies: 4 encouraging developments from the end of the season
As the Memphis Grizzlies pivoted to the rebuild, what were some of the more encouraging developments from the end of the season?
The Memphis Grizzlies hit a big reset at the trade deadline, trading away Jaren Jackson Jr. for a haul of prospects and picks to signal a rebuild.
In the process, they have given a lot of opportunities to young players since then. You cannot take too much from post-All-Star break hoops — also known as “Mickey Mouse March” — due to the teams that use this time to prioritize youth, health, and draft odds.
However, there are elements to cautiously take with this time of year. It’s an opportunity for young players to build a ramp for their development, and for an organization to see what they have with more playing time. How to watch for sustainable traits:
Are the skills scalable to smaller, normalizef roles?
Is their offense through the system, or from breaking plays and actions?
Can everything be conducive to winning basketball?
While the Memphis Grizzlies haven’t won much since the All-Star break, there are still several elements that served as developmental wins that could be important to monitor going forward.
Javon Small is a player
Two-way player Javon Small has taken over a strong dose of point guard minutes, and he’s passed with flying colors.
His shooting has been a critical component of his strong play. Among rookies from the last 10 seasons with at least 100 three-point attempts, he’s first in three-point percentage at 43.9. The shooting has been multi-faceted. He’s shooting:
48.8% on catch-and-shoot three’s
43.2% on dribble-jumper 3’s
40% out of the pick-and-roll
Those skills are important when gauging his ability to play on and off the ball. It’s also a skill worth monitoring, as he never shot above 38 percent from three in his four seasons in college.
Small is also shooting 62.7 percent at the rim. He’s so good at charging his way to the basket, as he looks to drive his way into whoever’s at the rim. He never avoids contact; he embraces it. As an undersized guard, it’s an encouraging skill when assessing the levels of his scoring ability.
Defensively, he has good size and strength at the guard spot. Very early, he’s had some wicked chase-down blocks. His point-of-attack defense and pickup points will be critical development points when assessing his upside.
Small has been an encouraging development after the All-Star break, and he can warrant consideration for the second-team All-Rookie — as he’s 6th among rookies in EPM.
Jaylen Wells’ key development
Jaylen Wells had a strong close to his sophomore season — averaging 14 points per game on 40.7 shooting from three and 58.8 percent on two’s since the Grizzlies’ blockbuster trade.
I want to focus on the three-point shooting. Wells came into the league known as a sharpshooter, but it hasn’t quite manifested in the league just yet. He’s shot roughly 35 percent from three in both seasons. The three-point shooting to close the season has been encouraging — in terms of accuracy and volume — but it’s also vital for his trajectory as a starting wing.
Onto this, Wells continued his journey as the Grizzlies’ perimeter stopper and has still graded out as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.
He trends towards the top in the B-Ball Index’s Perimeter Isolation and Matchup Difficulty metrics. The other perimeter defenders lingering near the top of these metrics with Wells: Dyson Daniels, Jaden McDaniels, and Lu Dort.
Wells belongs as a playoff rotation player whenever this Grizzlies team is back at that stage. He offers size on the wing, matchup versatility, and capable shooting. If he can trend closer to being a 40-percent three-point shooter instead of 35, his value and utility go up to a significant degree.
Taylor Hendricks is worth investing in
The potential is there, and he produced at an encouraging level.
He averaged 10.6 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while shooting 58.4 percent on two-pointers and 34.2 percent on three-pointers (4.4 attempts per game).
He offers a ton of utility in the frontcourt. The shooting is viable enough with the combination of volume and accuracy to toggle to the 4. He can defend multiple positions and encompass different roles. He has good anticipation and lateral quickness to create turnovers. He runs the floor.
He’s a fascinating chess piece that can toggle between positions 3-5. I just want to see what he looks like next to a real center. He can take on more perimeter assignments. He can protect the rim as a help defender. He can space the floor a little bit and roll to the basket in their flow offense.
Hendricks warrants real looks on next year’s roster because of his versatility in the frontcourt.
The roster construction can get FASCINATING
The Grizzlies will have questions about their roster next year.
They have guards aplenty with Ja Morant, Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Cam Spencer, Walter Clayton Jr., and Javon Small. There’s no question the NBA Draft has an abundance of guards throughout the board. Shuffling among this group feels imminent.
For centers, they have hardly operated with a true center since the All-Star break. How do they go about the center position — not just with Zach Edey’s return but also his health?
Now the fascination with their roster spot lies within the newfound size they’ve found between the 2 and the 4. Cedric Coward looks like a long-term starter and a potential pillar piece. GG Jackson provides a lot of size as a forward that can shoot and get downhill. Jaylen Wells and Taylor Hendricks have been mentioned as defensive stalwarts with size. Olivier-Maxence Prosper provides a ton of energy as a 6’8” forward. Who knows what the plans are with two-way player Rayan Rupert, but he’s been solid as a bigger wing. For a team that’s been searching for positional size on the wing, they’ve suddenly built a group of wing and forwards with desired versatility. It should be amplified when there’s more stability at the guard and big spots.
The roster will most definitely be shuffled with perhaps a big orientation towards wherever their draft pick falls, but they’ve found something with the archetype they’re seeking out on the wing.
The Grizzlies will have to reconfigure their roster in the offseason in a way to configure their rebuild to their vision. These four developments are worth noting when assessing their roster and their construction for it towards next season.
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Parker with all due Respect To mention Memphis as a franchise to be considered a contender or future decent to Good team without more mention of their best youngest yet most talented, highest ceiling player~GG Jackson is ludicrous and short sighted to say the least.