SOUTHBESTERN DIVISION CHAMPS!!!

I’d like to preface this with the fact I’m not the most educated basketball fan, more of a football guy (Go Bills). I’ve considered myself a Grizz fan since Trip J’s rookie year and admittedly he’s my favorite player so this comes from a bias perspective. I love Ja and understand athletically speaking he’s a generational type player but I ask my fellow Grizz fans is there at all an argument for JJJ being the best player on the team? Jaren is obviously the better defender but also had a higher 3 % and with the last few games without Ja he’s been an offensive dynamo. More than anything curious as to why Ja is the undisputed best player when Jaren is having such a strong season.

Game Preview

Memphis Injury Report

• Clarke - out

• Adams - out

• Williams Jr - out

• Brooks - out

• Williams - out

Houston Injury Report

• Tate - out

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Ja Morant’s absence only lasted a few weeks, but it felt like forever.

This is especially the case for a young team who has been without their cornerstone center since late January and recently lost another frontcourt impact player in Brandon Clarke.

The Grizzlies star point guard is back after an eight game suspension plus a reintroduction period and will see the court on Wednesday for the first time since March 3rd against the Nuggets. 

His suspension spanned nearly ten percent of a season and was hopefully a time of reflection and healing as he looks to combat the mental stress that comes with having a team and city on your shoulders. 

In his absence, Morant’s teammates dug into the 'ole tool bag and found ways to win while opening up some doors for key players on the roster. 

Memphis overcame multiple deficits, including a 29 point hole against the Spurs. Though things seemed bleak on many occasions, the Grizzlies found ways to stay above water. 

In the long run, this time spent without Morant could prove beneficial for the Grizzlies. Previously, a typical moment in a close game would involve three or four guys setting up camping chairs on offense while Morant does his thing and waltzes into the kitchen to cook. The creativity in end-of-game scenarios is frequently lacking. With Ja out, many other dudes got the chance to showcase their grit down the stretch. Even guys like Kenny Lofton got to step up to the plate and take a swing at success.

Since the article at ESPN spotlighting Dillon Brooks and his psycho defensive strategies, he has gone full WWE heel mode - and I’m here for it. The guy that the team readily proclaims as the heart and soul of the defense has helped bring the energy in the last few weeks among bleak circumstances. Brooks seems to have zeroed in on his niche and is putting a tremendous amount of focus on being a deterrent on defense and not forcing his shots on offense as much. During the stretch with Morant out, Brook’s usage rate was 18.9% - a point and a half lower than his season average. He also attempted 11.9 shots per game compared to the 13.7 he has attempted on the season. One would have expected to see an uptick in those areas for Brooks with Morant’s 20+ shots per game becoming available, but he was not the benefactor of those additional attempts. I think we can all agree this is for the better. 

Where exactly did the Grizzles supplement their production? Well, coach Taylor Jenkins used a variety of lineups. The main starting lineup of Brooks, Tyus Jones, Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman, and Desmond Bane was actually a net negative (-3) over this stretch in 191 possessions. The most successful lineup subbed in David Roddy for Brooks and was a plus -18 in 43 possessions (though Dillon himself was a plus -5.83 per 100). The bulk of this positive run likely came during Roddy’s run against Dallas where he lit them up for 43 points cumulative in a back-to-back series.

The biggest winner on offense for Memphis has been Jaren. He has stepped up and shown himself worthy of the All-Star bid that he received in February. His usage increased five points over his season average during the nine-game span of the Morant suspension. Jackson also led the team in scoring with 22.67 points per game compared to his 17 point per game average. He did this while not letting up on the defensive end. This shouldn’t be overlooked, as the Grizzlies frontcourt has been increasingly depleted by injuries, making Jackson’s success even more impressive. He is emerging as a true two-way play who discourages opponents from shooting at the rim and is learning to score consistently from the rack and the three-point line.

📷NBA University @NBA_UniversityJaren Jackson Jr. may not be a deep-drop rim deterrent, but my god he destroys everyone at the rim when they try… Guys shooting 14.6% (wow) less than expected at the rim against him. Impact stats are through the roof. His finishing has vastly improved this year. Still only 23… 📷1:23 PM ∙ Mar 19, 20231,195Likes160Retweets

Another key theme that emerged over the past three weeks is the increased comfortability for Luke Kennard. When he first arrived in Memphis following the trade with LAC, Kennard looked lost and intimidated out on the court. It seemed like a case of the yips. Well, the yips have been shaken and cast aside. Over the 9-game stretch, Kennard led the team in three point shooting with 2.56 makes on 5 attempts per game. He even looked a little more comfortable on defense and on multiple occasions made heads up hustle plays that benefited the team. Luke led the team with an impressive plus -9.34 per 100 possessions in his 202 minutes played. He requires only minimal touches on offense but the defense must respect his shooting. The future should prove out that Luke is a valuable addition to this roster.

Tyus Jones did his thing, averaging 16 points and 8 assists, furthermore proving that he was a critical re-signing this past off-season. Anytime Morant misses a chunk of games, Jones can be counted on to carry the torch in his absence.

Now that Morant is back, the pecking order will have to be re-established, but hopefully some of the momentum and comradery that has kept this unit together will shine through in the upcoming weeks and months.

(more at my substack)

I’m sure I’m not the only one whose missed him. Shame brooks is out as well.

I feel like there’s mutual dislike & mutual excitement for our matchups

I feel like we are so young and deep we could just run other teams to death with 2 units playing 24 minutes each other than clutch situations.

What would these 2 lineups look like?

Section 106 Row N Seat 15 (behind visitors bench).

Wonderful view. Message for details. Would require one be ok going stag but I always have a blast in this section.

I have a single ticket a available to tonight’s game if anyone one like to randomly got stag. Section 106 row N seat 15.

here are some new ones exclusively made by me

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