The Grizzlies need more - and more should come
The Memphis Grizzlies are in search for more in their quest to generate momentum in the win column. More is needed for the Grizzlies, and it should come sooner rather than later.
The Memphis Grizzlies are 0-4. Their offense is sputtering, rebounding has been a challenge of not getting them at the right time, and it seems like nothing is shaking the right way. Everytime they’re coming close to gaining an advantage on the scoreboard, they’ve been pulled away.
It seems dire. Steven Adams is out for the season, and it’s unclear whether or not Brandon Clarke will have the same fate — or how effective he’d be if he returned this season. The team’s superstar point guard, Ja Morant, has 21 of his 25-game suspension remaining. Luke Kennard and Santi Aldama should be back soon, but their absences are felt right now.
While doom, gloom, and despair may run amongst the fanbase, optimism surrounds the team.
“It’s so early in the season,” Desmond Bane said. “We’re working towards something. We’re working on new offensive schemes and building chemistry with our new teammates. We have guys working to get back on the court and get healthy, so we’re working through a lot of things right now. The only thing we’re focused on is continuing to get better. We’ve seen jumps, regardless of if it says it in the scoreboard or in the win column.”
Obviously, healthy bodies is what stands out. Sure, two players had known extended absences, and another had a shaky outlook coming into the season. There could’ve been better planning with finding a more suitable frontcourt reserve than Kenneth Lofton Jr., but a path exists for it to be corrected with veteran signing Bismack Biyombo — if the Grizzlies elect to keep him upon Morant’s returning.
Then, they lost Steven Adams, Santi Aldama, and Luke Kennard in a span of 4 days.
Regardless of how you shake it out on either optimistic-pessimistic side, take away the starting point guard, starting center, and 3 best bench players on most NBA teams, and the team will struggle mightily.
So they need more healthy bodies. Kennard will be back in tonight’s game, while Aldama should be back soon. Both players should help the Grizzlies get out of a rut. Kennard is an offensive weapon teams have to respect, a light-out marksman that can and will make defenses pay for helping off him. No one else off the bench possesses that sort of shooting gravity. Though not a powerful big man, Aldama is another tall frontcourt player that adds more skill and shooting into the system. Replacing some “small-ball” minutes with Aldama should provide a boost and ideal size.
Despite the need for players to return to the lineup, more has to be done to gain some momentum and enter the win column.
The Grizzlies need more offensive firepower. They’re currently 25th in offensive rating, scoring 104.2 points per 100 (non garbage time) possessions — per Cleaning the Glass. Yes, reinforcements coming should help, but they still have to control what you can with who’s available. The team has had better shooting luck, but the offense has had too many instances where it’s just stalled out. They have to lean into their principles, move the basketball, and make the simple play to drive the offense out of the mud.
Defensively, the Grizzlies have been solid but haven’t been elite as usual, falling more in the middle of the pack (112.6 defensive rating, 16th). Rebounding and second chance points are a culprit. The shooting exhibition Dallas put up Monday night carved up their 3-point defense. They have to be more locked in — whether it’s with their rotations, shifts, or overall activity — and avoid such lapses in their quest for momentum.
And the Grizzlies should find their stride on both ends of the floor. After all, they’re introducing a starter and another rotation player into the fold, and they also have a plethora of guys playing bigger roles than experienced. Individual efficiency should come when players are slotted in their ideal roles. It all takes time, but there’s confidence it can all click.
“We’re happy with where we’re at right now,” Ziaire Williams said. “We’re trying, we’ll get it right.”
These elements are important in the here and now to accumulate wins. Maybe, they find their way into the win column and build upon it for a groove. If they can’t find a rhythm, questions around will revolve around more moves needed to bolster this team.
Nonetheless, the team’s mentality is in the right place. They’re embracing the adversity and the togetherness of this process, while placing trust in their work.
“We’re going to find out together what it takes to get over the hump. The positivity is something we can control everyday,” Xavier Tillman said. “Our effort and our attitude is something — when you come to practice, when you come to shoot around, when you come to games — you can control that. That’s something each and every one of us need to have. And we’re going to let the chips fall where they may.”
At the end of the day, it’s a long season. It’s an 82-game season full of up’s and down’s. Teams have started hot and fizzled out, and others stumbled out the gates then surged at the right time. The key is to never stay too high or too low — a key phrase that’s been echoed the past several years in this organization.
“You can’t get too high; you can’t get too low. It’s a long season. Things are going to happen. Like I said, for us, we just got to stay the course. We put in the work, we control what we control and that’s putting ourselves in a position to go out there and make shots. Make the right play on both ends and we do that. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out for you, but we can’t get too low on ourselves. We have a lot of a lot of talent on this team. Things are going to click; it’s just taking some time right now.”
Marcus Smart
It’s natural for panic to be felt in a slow start, especially in a competitive NBA landscape where you don’t want to fall too far behind. However, the realization of the long season is important to right the ship, fusing it with urgency needed to secure wins.
Even within the message, more is needed for the Memphis Grizzlies. They need more healthy bodies, which is a bit out of their control. However, they can control their system. They need to lock in more into their defensive principles, and they need more complete execution through all 48 minutes.
With some key players set to return, the current mentality through adversity, and the growing familiarity with one another in a newer system, the tide can (hopefully) shift sooner rather than later for the Memphis Grizzlies.
If you choose to support my Substack, SubTsakalidis — aka “SubTsak” — follow this link to my Allie’s Allies St. Jude fundraiser page. If you choose to subscribe, all proceeds will go towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.