4 observations from Grizzlies' 3-0 West road trip
The Memphis Grizzlies had a successful 3-0 road trip this past week. Though having to deal with even more storms now, several observations lay groundwork for rest of season and beyond.
I don’t know how to measure the weight of these vibes for the Memphis Grizzlies this week. Do they cancel out? Does one outweigh the other?
Yeah, probably.
A 3-0 road trip against 3 teams full of star-studded duos (trios, in sake of Suns and Bradley Beal) vying for Western Conference Playoff positioning brought on immaculate vibes. Then, it got dragged into the mud in the middle of the trip when the team announced Ja Morant’s season-ending shoulder surgery. Vibes continued to pick back up after the Dallas win when the Grizzlies converted Vince Williams’ two-way contract to make him a full-time member of the main roster. Then it was gutted when news broke that Marcus Smart will be re-evaluated for a rupture in his ring finger.
Again, the Grizzlies cannot catch a break. They are now without Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Steven Adams, and Brandon Clarke for an extended period of time — and in some cases, until the 2024-25 season.
So now we’ll wait to see what transpires for the remainder of the season. However, let’s pivot back to that 3-0 road trip. While you can’t dwell on the past, you saw 3 versions of the Grizzlies.
Against Los Angeles, The fully-optimized one a center away from being a devastating playoff contender.
In Phoenix, the one that could use an elite defense and the offensive fuel from two All-Star talents to stay afloat without its supernova point guard.
Against Dallas, the frisky one that can catch teams lacking.
The latter will be the version of the Grizzlies we’ll likely see for the rest of the season. The road trip brought some interesting trends and observations that could shape the team’s play for the remainder of this unforgiving season, and lay some foundation going forward.
Jaren Jackson Jr. looking like the most dominant player on the floor
Jaren Jackson Jr. only played in the games against Los Angeles and Phoenix, and he was arguably the best player on the floor both nights.
In Los Angeles, Jackson seemed to conquer his biggest foe. Recently, he’s struggled against Anthony Davis. The Lakers would have Davis roam the paint and shut the water off on Jackson’s drives and post-ups. Last Friday, Jackson finished with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks — missing only 3 of his 14 field goal attempts, and draining 5 of his 6 three-pointers. It was a performance that encapsulated his two-way dominance, and his multi-faceted offensive skillset.
Jackson was fearless with room to work, no matter if Davis or LeBron were guarding him. His first step was superb, usually hitting his defender with a right-to-left between-the-legs dribble before making his way downhill. He maintained soft touch with his left hand as well.
When Davis roamed to “cover” Biyombo, Jackson’s timing out of the post was sharp, making sure he had plenty of time to get his shot off to avoid his paint presence.
Against Phoenix, Jackson played the majority of his minutes at the 5, drawing the assignments of slower-footed Jusuf Nurkic and Drew Eubanks. Jackson and the Grizzlies exploited his mismatches. In the process, he drew his most complete offensive performance — 28 points (11-20 shooting, 3-8 from 3), 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.
With more spacing and ideal matchups, Jackson had freedom to work through the mismatch. The Grizzlies also sought them early by having him bring the ball up to initiate downhill actions.
With mismatch-hunting, this action stands out to me. It starts in a Stagger Away set, but after the first screen, Jackson moves to the opposite block into a Punch action — meanwhile, Kennard twirls through the 2nd screen. The most tantalizing element of this play was Jackson motioning to Williams and Kennard to clear out to give him an empty corner to operate within.
Jackson handled this offensive workload while still patrolling the paint with force as a rim protector and help defender.
Jackson’s performance over the past month has been riveting:
Through this short-handed stretch, the Grizzlies need to lean into Jackson’s diverse skillset. He’s elite when he has defenders on an island — whether it’s in isolations or post-up’s. His outside shooting is finding a groove, and the Grizzlies could deploy him in stationary shooting, in pick-and-pop’s, or with movement.
Likewise with Desmond Bane’s workload and excellence, Jackson’s play the next few months can set a runway for his ideal utilization and maximized production within the team’s core.
Ziaire Williams letting the work show
It’s been a rollercoaster season — really, 12 months — for Ziaire Williams. He came out firing on all cylinders in preseason, poised to bounce back from a sophomore slump into a leap. Then, inconsistent play led to sporadic minutes, then losing his spot in the rotation. So far in 2024, he’s strung together several solid performances, including in this 3-game road trip.
Williams has just looked comfortable on both sides of the ball.
It’s evident with his 3-point jumper, as he wasted little time firing on his 3’s. Though possessing an aesthetically jumper, it seems different — more sped up, lower arc on his shot. His indicators are promising — 36.9% on catch-and-shoot 3’s, and 41% on corner 3’s.
Williams made more decisive, aggressive decisions inside the arc, crashing the inside off rebounds or closeouts. His presence as a cutter — whether as a roller, or as a lane-runner in transition — is vital, as he provides vertical spacing needed with this available roster right now.
Williams has usually been a jumpy defender, biting on fakes and helping too hard en route to giving up easy scoring opportunities. However, against various star players, he showed more control defensively — utilizing his length and quick feet to stay with them and bother their shots. His activity on the glass, either with rebounds or help defense, was an encouraging display of urgency as well. With Smart’s absence, the Grizzlies need help with perimeter defense to alleviate pressure off Jaren Jackson Jr., Vince Williams Jr., and Desmond Bane.
These next 3 months will be big for Ziaire Williams. He’s extension-eligible starting this summer, and could even face restricted free agency in 2025. Utilizing this time with an expanded role and more minutes may be “sink or swim” for Williams. He could use this time to help his development really jumpstart and parlay into a consecutive, productive basketball with a permanent rotation spot.
Luke Kennard making reads
Luke Kennard is known for his elite outside shooting, but Zach Kleiman and Taylor Jenkins also made a bet on his playmaking potential with last year’s trade deadline acquisition. Over the road trip, he averaged 3.7 assists per game — 2 games with 4 assists.
It’s not flashy anything, as a lot of these reads are connective passes or slips out of pick-and-roll. Teams will run him off the line or stay air-tight to him, so it’s an opportunity for him to put the ball on the floor to make a read for a better shot — a leverage with his shooting gravity.
In addition, when his shot isn’t on — whether it’s an off night or the defense isn’t giving him daylight — it adds a facet where he can bring value on the floor.
Don’t get it twisted. The Grizzlies need Kennard to let it fly at least 7 times per game — he’s shot 4 or fewer attempts in each of the past 4 games. However, with Smart and Morant out of the fold for an extended period of time, the Grizzlies can evaluate the utility of Kennard’s playmaking in conjunction with his outside shooting — especially given his $14M team option this summer.
Vince Williams is the Grizzlies’ Roy Kent
Alright, Ted Lasso fans may be the only ones that understand this reference.
Vince Williams. He’s here, he’s there, he’s every [potty word] where.
Vince Williams is really everywhere on both sides of the ball. His energy and timing are evident on the glass, as he hauled in 9 and 6 rebounds against Phoenix and Dallas — has also averaged 6.6 rebounds per game since entering the rotation on November 29th. His offensive rebounding against Phoenix (4) was paramount in generating extra possessions.
Williams always tries to get into actions to have his hand on the ball. In the road trip, his help defense shined, as he swarmed drivers and disrupted their downhill momentum with steals or blocks. He had two monster blocks to avoid Nurkic putback’s as well, one coming at a critical juncture of the game.
Williams’ length, quick feet, and energy are vital components of his screen navigation and help defense. He fights through screens to stay, and maintain a face-guard, on his assignment. With his help defense, he covers so much ground where he can rotate from point A to point B — and back to point A — rather seamlessly.
Vince Williams is tenacious, and right now (and obviously going forward), the Grizzlies need an agent of chaos. He’ll be relied to play a lot of minutes for the rest of the season and further illustrate his impact on winning.
A lot will be asked for the available Memphis Grizzlies this season — and I know I didn’t give him a shout in these observations, but Desmond Bane is awesome and deserves a ton of rest this offseason. (He’s also silencing any ridiculous doubts about his max contracts, he’s 1000% earned it).
Xavier Tillman’s two-way performance — including his fun battle in switches with Kyrie Irving — will need consistency as he’s one of the fewer centers left. Santi Aldama is a fun player but in a slump right now; this is an extended look to gauge his fit next to Jaren Jackson Jr. John Konchar’s rebounding and defensive impact will be crucial. Along with Ziaire Williams, this is a time where David Roddy, Jake LaRavia, and even GG Jackson can showcase their skillset and fit alongside the core.
Within these opportunities amidst a cruel season, the 3-0 road trip is something to fall back on. They played with urgency and crisp execution on both sides of the ball — elements that are translatable regardless of who’s in the lineup. If that’s maintained — regardless of the win-loss record and who’s in the lineup — the team’s fight through this storm will lay the groundwork for a brighter 2024-25 season and beyond.
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