Memphis Grizzlies: Halfway Summer League check-in
The Memphis Grizzlies are on their way to Summer League after a good trip to Salt Lake City. How are the main roster and two-way players performing?
The Memphis Grizzlies are through with their 3-game trek through Salt Lake City — going 2-1 against the summer Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Utah Jazz.
It’s hard to find glaring negatives in Summer League, as there have been noticeable improvements within the main-roster (two-way’s included) Grizzlies players. From a team as a whole, it’s been encouraging to see the confidence on the 3-ball, hoisting nearly 40 three’s per game (44/116, 38.9 three’s per game, 37.9%). Yes, sample sizes matter, but hopefully it’s a philosophy that’s prevalent with the main roster. The team has been generating cycles and getting out in transition as well.
With the team heading to Vegas for the NBA’s version of Coachella, I lay out what I’ve liked from the Grizzlies’ youngsters thus far, as well as things I want to see over the next few games.
David Roddy
Skill that’s stood out: Facilitation
David Roddy has been tasked with the more on-ball responsibilities, as expected for the player with the most NBA minutes played among the group. Gathering more on-ball reps with his development is a key with his skillset. He represents a wing that could apply necessary rim pressure with his size and aggressiveness. Another component of rim pressure is facilitating when downhill.
Roddy cooked more as a scorer in the first game, and despite a lackluster performance in the 2nd, he finished with 5 assists. Yes, some of these are coming off swings within the flow of the offense. However, a chunk of them are legitimate reads from getting downhill and pressuring the defense to collapse and shift. He won’t have the ball in his hands as frequently on the main roster, but making reads off side actions against a shifting defense opens up more driving optionality.
Something to monitor: Rim finishing
For David Roddy, no skill wavers more each game than his finishing at the rim. At times, he rolls down the lane like a bowling ball, barreling towards the defense and muscling his way into a bucket — or thunderously throwing it down on an opposition. Others, he doesn’t generate the type of explosion necessary to finish over the defense, a drawback of his height and build. Aforementioned, he’s one of the few players on this roster with the skillset to apply rim pressure, but it’s minimized if he’s a subpar finisher (64% at the rim, 38th percentile among forwards, per Cleaning the Glass). For Roddy, he’ll need to look to leverage his physicality and footwork to find the right angles to either create a better finishing window or a launchpad to attack above the rim.
Jake LaRavia
Skill that’s stood out: Shot hunting
Jake LaRavia has a big Summer League. After missing time on the main roster due to injuries and illness, the Grizzlies decided to have him refine his skillset offensively with the Hustle. With his silky smooth shooting stroke, the question was never if LaRavia could shoot rather if he would shoot.
There’s been no question thus far about his shot. LaRavia is letting it fly. He’s attempted 9 three’s in each of the first 2 games — connecting on 6 of his 18 tries. He shined more in his 2nd game, where he scored 25 points and made 4 of his 9 three pointers.
Yes, it’s fair to point out both the makes and the misses. Specifically, I wanted to point out that his off shooting night (2-9 from 3) in the 1st game still contained good looks and acceptable jumpers. These shots are both within the flow of the offense, while also being aggressive and decisive when letting it fly. A lot of his shots thus far are also translatable to his role on the main roster — flare screens, spot-up, running in transition.
It’s important this trend continues, as shooting both consistently and confidence is LaRavia’s ticket to rotation minutes.
Something to monitor: Playmaking
Jake LaRavia’s playmaking has been praised since college, serving more as a connective passer instead of an initiator. In Summer League, we haven’t seen a ton from him as a playmaker, as he’s generated 3 assists against 4 turnovers. It’s not the end all be all or anything, but the Grizzlies often use Summer League to put the ball in their sophomores’ hands.
Right now, the responsibility belongs to David Roddy, and within role definition, it makes sense to have LaRavia serve more as a spot-up shooter. However, it could be nice to flip the roles. Nonetheless, I’d look for LaRavia to attack closeouts a bit more, as defenses close out on his jumper, then seeing what he does next off the drive.
Vince Williams Jr.
Skill that’s stood out: Shooting confidence
Vince Williams has come with an emphatic reintroduction to the fans, and maybe an introduction to possible minutes down the road. He’s been the most consistent Grizzly through Summer League, primarily evident through his 3-point shot. He’s gone 8-13 (61.5%) from 3, mainly coming in catch-and-shoot situations, a positive sign of his trajectory through his 1st two-way season. He won’t be a 61.5% 3-pointer shooter, but falling in the 35-40 ballpark makes him a fascinating prospect in the Grizzlies’ development pipeline, because of his skillset as an energy wing.
Something to monitor: Point-of-attack defense/Stopper Responsibilities
Depth within positions is important, but depth for roles is equally as important. For Vince Williams Jr., one role he could fulfill at one point is as a stopper. He has the tools for it — good frame (6’5” wing with a 7’0” wingspan), active hands, and quick feet. Worth noting, Herb Jones was someone he’s modeled his game after dating back to the pre-draft process. With matchups against experienced players like Max Christie, Dalen Terry, or Sam Merrill — or talented rookies like Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis, or Kobe Brown — I’d love Williams to take on those point-of-attack situations to test his defensive chops.
Kenneth Lofton Jr.
Skill that’s stood out: Passing
Kenneth Lofton Jr. has two options in his mind when the ball is in his hands: let it fly or drop a dime with some sauce. His passing has stands out (8 assists vs. 4 turnovers), because it bodes well for his fit into the system. The Grizzlies typically run a big near the high post to serve as a hub for the offense — an outlet for screens, hand-offs, passes to cutters, or rolling to the rim. Lofton’s scoring ability is undeniable, but he’s a sneaky good passer as well. If he can continue to serve as a connective piece within the high post, flashy or not, it will open up more for the rest of his game.
Something to monitor: Screening
Sure, I could point out his defense, since his rim protection leaves a lot to be desired. However, he deserves credit for his active hands to rack up steals, so let’s continue to stay with his offense.
Within the responsibilities of a high-post big man, Kenneth Lofton Jr. should improve as a screener. Two of his 4 turnovers in Salt Lake City came off illegal screens. For him to be trusted with more minutes, he needs to grow in all the components it takes to be a high-post hub. Improving as a screener will not only free up his man, but it could give him clean looks as a roller, or a fader for jumpers.
GG Jackson
Skill that’s stood out: Complementary scoring
GG Jackson dazzled us all with his riveting scoring display in the final Salt Lake City game — showcasing the talent that made him a tantalizing prospect. However, his scoring complementing the other main roster guys are more encouraging. I’ve always pointed to the ability to scale down into a role, when discussing GG Jackson’s NBA outlook. He answered a lot more questions, positively, with his play.
For this Grizzlies team, his offensive role should be more simple than “let him cook” — play finishing, spot-up shooting, running the floor. He’ll have chances to show off his bag as time goes on, but these elements will earn him minutes after his two-way season with the Hustle.
Something to monitor: Defensive moments
I’m not going to point out how GG Jackson had 0 assists through 3 games, friend of the newsletter Chris Herrington did that on Twitter. (And I agree, it’s Summer League legends type flow). Again, when it comes to earning minutes, he’ll need to do energy man stuff — offensive responsibilities aforementioned, crashing the glass, and playing defense. He had 3 blocks over the 3 games this week, and I’d like for him to show some more moments — similar to this stop and block on Jaden Springer. He has fascinating tools to fare well defensively, so seeing those translate and materialize would be neat to watch over the next week.
Jacob Gilyard
Skill that’s stood out: COOKIES
Records were set in Summer League! Shoutout Jacob Gilyard for breaking the record for steals in a Summer League game, after coming away with 7 swipes against the Thunder.
Noticeable in these steals, he’s a great help defender. He has good timing to slide and help to halt the drive at the nail, turning it into a steal and transition offense. He may be at a disadvantage with his height when it comes to stopping or contesting, but his defensive instincts are excellent — really harassing the defense by being stuck to them like glue on the ball, and sliding over opportunely to help off his man.
Something to monitor: Rim pressure with 2-point scoring
Gilyard’s role isn’t to score. He’s going to set up his teammates and create defensive events. However, it’d be nice to see him apply some pressure on the defense by scoring inside the arc. Good rim pressure will open up more opportunities within the offense, where it could even help leverage his strengths (playmaking) with what the defense gives him.
The Memphis Grizzlies will have at least 4 Summer League games remaining, a time where each of these young players could grow and build momentum in their developmental paths. With these 6 players specifically, they’re due for bigger roles — whether it’s larger ones on the Hustle, or promotions with the Grizzlies. Summer League could help lay the foundation for their 2023-24 trajectories.
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