Film: How the Grizzlies 26-2 run ignited their 1st win of season

The Memphis Grizzlies used a huge 26-2 run to parlay into their 1st win of the 2023-24 season. Could it help them find their pace in the long NBA season?

26-2 — the Memphis Grizzlies run against the Portland Trail Blazers to finally find their way into the win column.

26.2 — the miles behind a marathon.

You often hear the phrase, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” No need to hash out the different applications of it. In the NBA context of an 82-game season, the 6th game of the season is the equivalent of the 1.9-mile mark in a 26.2 mile marathon.

It replicates enough time to find a rhythm, but at some point, the race won’t be a pleasant time if you can’t get your pace going.

And that’s how it’s been for the Memphis Grizzlies to start the season. Going into Sunday night’s game, the injury-riddled Grizzlies just couldn’t find their footing. The offense stagnated, and the defensive miscommunication seemed apparent. They felt their absences of Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, Steven Adams, Luke Kennard, and Santi Aldama immensely.

While the season is still young, murmurs around national media and on social media revolved around the Grizzlies hopefully not falling too far back in the vicious Western Conference before Ja Morant’s return after the 25-game mark.

Will the hole dug be too deep? What’s up with the Grizzlies? Are they cooked? Is this a mini-tank year?

Those murmurs were on the verge of growing louder, as the Grizzlies blew a 10-point lead with 3 minutes left in the Friday night’s game against Portland. It could’ve escalated if they left their 3-game road trip and the weekend 0-7. It seemed to be on the way, after the Grizzlies fell to a 12-point deficit with 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

Then, a switch flipped. The Memphis Grizzlies locked in with a different mentality and ripped off a massive 26-2 run to secure their first win.

Friday night, the Grizzlies played like a team that had to win in the closing moments. Sunday night, they played like a team that wanted to win down the stretch.

Before diving deep into it, the Grizzlies blitzed Portland with the lineup of Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Bismack Biyombo. For reasons beyond Sunday’s surge, it’s a sound strategy for a lineup given the playmaking of the perimeter players, shooting between positions 2-4, and the defensive versatility.

The Grizzlies started its run with a delay action with Bismack Biyombo. The design was to hit Desmond Bane off Chicago (a pin down into a DHO), but Portland blew up the handoff. It led to Biyombo getting the ball to Marcus Smart to trigger a pick-and-roll. He takes advantage of the soft drop from Deandre Ayton to fire a mid-range jumper.

Marcus Smart and Bismack Biyombo orchestrate a pick-and-roll again — even pulling the ball back out to get a re-screen. Smart finds Bane, who hits a tough mid-range jumper over Jerami Grant. It just further encapsulation of Bane’s growth as an off-the-dribble creator.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is just everywhere in this possession. Shaedon Sharpe tries to split him and Luke Kennard in the screen action, but Jackson gets to the level of the screen and closes the gap to knock it away. Once Ayton retains, Jackson drives him out of his comfort zone by keeping his hands in the cookie jar without fouling.

Out of HORNS, you can see Smart and Bane tease a handoff. However, Camara denies it, opening an avenue for Bane to cut baseline for the dish and finish.

The Grizzlies use a stagger screen for Desmond Bane. Because Ayton isn’t at the level of the screen, and because of how high the pick-and-roll was initiated, Bane steps into a comfortable pull-up 3.

Truly great cycle ignited from stellar defensive execution. Biyombo draws the switch on Sharpe — a seemingly advantageous set-up for the offense. Bane returns to help baseline on the drive, forcing a kick-out to the weak-side corner. Kennard anticipates it to intercept it and generate a turnover.

The Grizzlies quickly set-up their offense by running an empty-corner pick-and-roll with Bane and Jackson. Ayton attempts to close-out — a lesson from earlier in the run — and Bane slips a bounce pass to a cutting Jackson for a dunk.

This season, the Grizzlies have been burned from over-helping on the drive at the nail. They want to shut off water in the paint, it makes sense. This sequence is the design of it. Grant draws the switch on Bane, and tries to get to his spot downhill to utilize the height advantage. Smart traps him at the nail to stop his dribble, then has to close out hard on Brogdon after surrendering the 3.

This is a textbook play on how to dissect a defense that tags the roller. Before the action, Kennard sets a subtle screen to free up Bane and generate a switch from Grant, who was pestering on-ball. Bane rejects the Biyombo screen, draws the trap, and lofts the pass to the rolling big. Camara is tagging, so he rotates to help. Biyombo finds Jackson in the corner off the short roll, forcing Grant to rotate off Kennard — leading to the massive 3.

The defensive seal of the game. Jaren Jackson and Bismack Biyombo wreak havoc at the rim to deny Grant’s layup attempt — showcasing their potential as a shot-blocking duo.

Instead of milking the clock, the Grizzlies didn’t waste this possession, even with a 9-point lead. They pushed their lead into double-digits by identifying Jackson with a mismatch on the low block — placing Sharpe on an island with an empty corner. Jackson muscles his way through contact with an and-1.

Just to leave everyone happy for the first win of the season — Bismack Biyombo sends Brogdon’s layup to the backboard to lock in the first win of the season.

The Grizzlies’ 26-2 run showcased poise and urgency through its execution. They drew great designs to generate clean offensive looks, and had counters to what Portland tried to take away. They also locked into sound defensive principles to corral stops.

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The Grizzlies’ 1st win may not lead to everything being fine and dandy, and everyone singing kumbaya. However, for the first time all season, the Grizzlies have a formula to build upon.

Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. have been absolutely awesome leading this team, and help may be on the way.

Bismack Biyombo may not be this effective every night, but his role is translatable — set screens, haul in rebounds, and protect the rim. He does the little things Adams set the standard in, and even providing them at 75-80% of the injured center’s level helps this team. Luke Kennard finding his outside shot helps the offense, evident through his team-high plus/minus of +30. Santi Aldama provides size and offensive juice off the bench. Marcus Smart will continue to find ways to impact winning, and it’ll become amplified with more familiarity with the system.

There’s still stuff to work out. The defense is shaky. The young wings have been fine, but inconsistent. They’re still dealing with the injury bug with now John Konchar, Xavier Tillman, and Derrick Rose on the mend.

However, the Grizzlies can use its pivotal 26-2 run that fueled its first win to rise out of this slump and to develop a rhythm to get back on track. That’s what everyone will have their eyes on next.

While the 82-game season is a marathon, the Grizzlies could use this moment to find its footing and establish a pace this season — to avoid falling far from the park, or minimizing the margin of error.

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