Jake LaRavia is connecting things together

Jake LaRavia has settled into his role as a connector for the Memphis Grizzlies and finding ways of impacting winning.

Jake LaRavia’s 2024 calendar year has been big for his career, as he’s playing through his first healthy stretch since he was drafted in 2022. When he returned from his ankle injury, he was thrusted into more of a creator role — as the Grizzlies were without a ton of their key playmakers. That role continued with Summer League play. Now alongside Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Demsond Bane, LaRavia has been slotted into more of a connector role where he’s thriving doing the little things.

His numbers won’t pop off the page — averaging 7.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 45.7% shooting on 5.8 attempts in 26.3 minutes through eight games. However, his impact has been noticeable with the force he’s playing with on both sides of the ball.

“He just plays hard,” Brandon Clarke said. “Every time he’s on the floor, he just makes all the tough plays. He plays really, really good defense. He likes to crash the boards hard.”

While the outside shot isn’t falling — just 31.6% from 3 on 2.4 attempts per game — his rebounding, defensive activity, and playmaking have all shined through this opening stretch of games.

“One of my roles on this team is to bring energy off the bench, and just try to be a dog every time I’m on the court,” LaRavia said. “That’s getting 50/50 balls, offensive rebounds, pushing the pace.”

LaRavia’s rebounding has been superb. He’s third in rebounds per game on the team (5.9), and also second in offensive rebounds per game (1.6). In addition, he’s in the 94th percentile in offensive rebound percentage off missed field goals (7.4%) and in the 82nd percentile in defensive rebound percentage off missed field goals (16.2%) — per Cleaning the Glass. The only other non-big men to hit these thresholds are Jaime Jacquez Jr. and Jeremy Sochan.

His positional rebounding is pivotal for Memphis, especially since they seek to establish pace and to generate transition offense. At 6’8”, he’s not small for either position. He combines his size with a nose for the ball, as he often crashes from the perimeter to win 50/50 balls. There’s also intent within his rebounding, as he usually seeks scoring opportunities for himself or his teammates — whether it’s off offensive rebounds, or off transition offense via defense rebounds.

LaRavia’s nose to the ball also parlays into his defensive performance. It won’t pop out in the box score, as he’s only averaging 0.9 stocks per game. However, he’s a physical defender that leverages his size to stir activity in the gaps and in passing lanes — looking for deflections that can turn into cycle opportunities. In the process, he’s showcasing strong defensive processing.

I want to highlight this specific sequence from the season opener.

Clarkson has Edey on an island. Once Clarkson gains the step, LaRavia rotates over for a block. Then off the offensive rebound, he stifles him in the corner to cause a turnover. Good heads-up play to shut down a potential advantage.

“Defensively, he’s doing a great job being disciplined,” Jenkins said. “Going over on the guys he needs to go over, his foot speed, playing with physicality.”

With his pace, LaRavia’s playmaking has been a positive for the Grizzlies. In this new offense, players are empowered to create advantages and make decisions off the bounce — whether it’s in transition or the halfcourt. They aren’t stationed in the corner to be ready to catch and shoot. In the process, LaRavia has shown the playmaking and processing to find his teammates cutting to the basket for easy scoring opportunities.

In turn, in this movement-centric offense, he’s improved as a finisher — converting on 71% of his shots at the rim (up from 49% last season), per Cleaning the Glass. His performance as a scorer and playmaker off cuts has been a nice illustration of the new offense being instilled, as heavy ball movement and motion towards the basket are key elements of the system.

“I love this offense. It’s worked really well, and I think it’s been very good for us so far,” LaRavia said. “We got a lot of really good cutters on this team, a lot of good floor spacers, a lot of good passers on this team. It’s allowed me to get the rebound, push the ball myself, facilitate, and create for others.”

These skills have become amplified with the lineup combinations Jenkins has put LaRavia in. He’s been using him at the 3 more often to exceptional results, as the Grizzlies boast a 16.6 net rating (128.1 offensive rating, 111.5 defensive rating) with LaRavia at the 3 — compared to a -1.9 at the 4, per Cleaning the Glass. The size advantage has been a huge boost to their lineups, most evident on the glass and defensively. He’s bigger than most opposing 3’s, which leads to having a size advantage as a perimeter crasher and as a drive defender.

“Played him more at the 3 the past couple times, which allows him to play to his strengths — his size, his offensive rebounding,” Taylor Jenkins said. “His ability to win those 50/50 balls at the 3-spot has been huge for us. We got two bigs trying to clear the paint, and he’s coming in and swarming in on the defensive side — or on the offensive side being one of our crashers.”

These combination of skills at his size has made him a strong connector, as he’s settled into this role next to Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane.

“All eyes are pretty much on them when they’re on the floor,” LaRavia said about playing with the trio. “I just do all the little things when I’m with them.”

So far this season, the Grizzlies have been 18.9 points per 100 possessions better with LaRavia on the floor this season (+11.9 on, -7.0 off), second-best mark on the team. (Fun run-extender trio the Grizzlies have leaned into, lineups with LaRavia, Jackson, and Brandon Clarke boast a +38.8 NET rating, 131.3 offensive rating and 92.5 defensive rating, in 67 possessions).

Now, people will point to the shooting. And yes, he needs to shoot the 3-ball better. He’s also connecting on 31.6% of his 3’s and 33.3% on catch-and-shoot 3’s. There’s reason for some optimism. He’s shooting 46% (6-13) on non-corner’s, but he has yet to a corner 3 this season on six attempts. In addition, Jenkins is impressed with his movement without the ball and his floor-spacing, which should allow for him to get more favorable looks from 3.

Regardless, even with the shot not falling, he’s adding value in the traits the Grizzlies have prioritized around their trio since Zach Kleiman took over the team. A lot of their role players have been positive possession players, meaning they excel in creating advantages in the possessions game with their defensive activity and positional rebounding — players like Steven Adams, Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton, Vince Williams Jr., and John Konchar are examples.

“Having guys like that — when we’re going to be leaning into Ja and Jaren right now — you need guys with that mentality for us moving forward,” Jenkins said.

Again, the jumper has to fall to really tap into his full potential, but his performance in this complementary skills serve as a good baseline.

It’s also a good foundation for his development for a big year going forward.

Last week, the Grizzlies decided to not opt into LaRavia’s 4th-year option at $5.1M. Per The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill, the Grizzlies “encouraged by Jake LaRavia’s development and remain interested in retaining him beyond this season,” but want to maintain flexibility for the 2025-26 season.

I understand the decision. I’m indifferent on my surprise level — as opting-in seemed like a good idea because of his play in 2024, but opting-out due to inconclusive data and the crowded wing rotation makes sense. At $5.1M and a rising cap, LaRavia would’ve been a great depth piece at a low cost.

Nonetheless, LaRavia’s performance this season is paramount for his development and his future beyond next season. Continuing to excel in the little things are key. The game is all about the margins, and identifying role players that thrive with the little things to create the possession advantage — rebounding and defensive events — is a sound strategy. Playmaking with size is also a commodity in today’s NBA. He has a good foundation, and an outside shot expands the possibility of outcomes for his career. The league covets bigger wings that can shoot, defend, pass, drive, and rebound. LaRavia is a shooting leap away from being a fascinating NBA forward — even just raising his percentage to the upper 30’s would be nice.

However Jake LaRavia may develop this year and how the Grizzlies approach his contract situation, it’s becoming clear that he’s getting into a comfortable role where he’s having a factor in winning basketball — an indication that he’s piecing things together as a connector for the Memphis Grizzlies early in the season.

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