Well, friends, we’ve done it. We have passed the midway point of the NBA season. Looking back, did you expect that the Grizzlies would be in 3rd place in the West and the hottest team in the game and seeking to maintain home court advantage for the playoffs? I sure didn’t, but I’m thoroughly enjoying this pleasant surprise.
With forty-plus games under our belt, I invite you along for the journey of my annual mid-season player grading tradition. These grades are biased and based on my preseason assumptions and projections of each player. For example, Player X could be the 9th guy on the roster, but if he is punching above his weight, he will grade out well. This isn’t a top to bottom grade, where the highest grades are reserved for the elite players. Everyone has a chance to earn their own marks based on their own merits. You get the picture. Let’s get to it
Ja Morant - A+
It’s hard to even find a starting point to talk about Morant. I could wax poetic for hours about his ascension into the elites of the league and how his success has catapulted the Grizzlies into the national spotlight. As of this writing, Morant is 7th in the league with a PER in excess of 25. He is averaging north of 25 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds per game. Oh yeah, and he’s only seeing the floor for 32 minutes per night.
Ja is an elite finisher at the rim, despite having terrible shot quality there because everyone is game planing for him (and failing). He is getting to the dish at a rate worthy of the 98th percentile of guards and earns every basket he gets at rack. Ja takes shots that are contested, but still manages to convert. Over 60% of his shots are at the rim or floaters in the vicinity. Morant has mastered the levitating-and-releasing-at-the-last-second shot which has won multiple games for the Grizzlies. On top of his paint dominance, Morant has grown his game outside the three point line and is converting over one and a half threes per game on 38% perimeter shooting. His offensive RAPTOR metrics are top-ten worthy and in every case the analytics match the eye test.
Desmond Bane - A+
What makes me chuckle every time Bane swishes a three, is that 29 other teams passed on him on draft night. He’s a Grizzly and that’s awesome. He doesn’t back down from anyone (ahem, LeBron James) and is a true gamer. Bane is averaging a trio of triples per game and is still hitting 43% of his threes on the season and for his career. What’s wild is that per BBall Index, Desmond is only in the 29th percentile when it comes to shot openness. These are contested shots he is drilling. The guard out of TCU has splashed in 20 or more points on eighteen occasions this season. Bane is carrying an immense offensive load for this young Grizzlies team. Also, with Dillon Brooks missing several stints due to injuries and COVID, Bane has been given the opportunity to showcase his defensive grit as well. Over 25% of the time this season, Bane has been tasked with guarding the opponent’s highest usage player - giving him invaluable exposure and experience. He’s done so much this season, and it doesn’t feel like he’s slowing down any time soon.
Bonus points for being cocky on the court…and being able to back it up.
Jaren Jackson Jr. - A
This season, Jaren has been a nightmare matchup on both ends of the floor. The 22 year old seven-footer is third in the league in total blocks and is showing All-NBA levels of defense across the board. As one of my friends put it: “He’s roving around down there like a mobile Gobert”. On the offensive side of the ball, Jaren has been as streaky as ever, with career lows in most areas of scoring, including points per shot attempt, where he is in the bottom quartile of the league. However, one encouraging thing to note is that Jaren is settling less for the three point shot and is taking additional chances to drive, dash, and spin to the rim for a higher chance opportunity. He is taking nearly 30 percent of his shots in the floater range instead of tossing up shots further from the rack.
When Jackson is on the floor, the Grizzlies are a net plus-12 points per 100 possessions, which is in the 91st percentile. While the Grizzlies’ offense is only a bucket per 100 better with him on the court, he is making an elite level impact on defense. Memphis gives up nearly 10 points per 100 possessions fewer points with Jackson on the court. In the past, it didn’t seem like Jaren and Ja were vibing on the court, which was obviously cause for great concern. Your two franchise cornerstones need to be able to play in cohesion. That is not the case this year. Ja and Jaren are plus-7.7 points per 100 when sharing the court. Contrast this to last year when the duo was minus-21.2(!!) points per 100 and you get a little insight into how much Jaren has improved since last season. Teams are forced to respect his shot on the perimeter, which opens up driving lanes for his teammates. On defense, he can block a shot from anywhere and has made multiple timely plays already this season. Just ask reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Tyus Jones - A-
Tyus served as a steadying force for the Grizzlies when Ja was out and we should be thankful to have him on the roster. He was Mr. Steady with his low usage, high assist to turnover ratio, and consistent play. I haven’t heard much chatter about this, but I would like to point out that he is hitting over 40% from three - albeit on less than three attempts per game. Jones has made the most of his time running the show and is having a hell of a contract year. His 8 points and 4 assists might not look super sexy on the stat sheet, but those watching the games understand the impact he is having on a nightly basis. No matter how many minutes he is called upon to play, he is usually ready and willing. In no way does he possess the offensive firepower that Morant does - he is nothing near the playmaker or shot taker - but he knows how to run an offense and involve his teammates. On the defensive side of things, I credit him along with Dillon Brooks with helping to ignite the fire across the board.
Steven Adams - B
If you're a hater who is still upset that the Grizzlies moved Jonas Valanciunas to NOLA for Adams, then you probably won’t like his grades or my overall opinion of the situation. Adams is the most dominant offensive rebounder in the NBA this season and a big part of why Memphis is one of the most successful teams when it comes to second chance points. He does not need to score the ball or control offensive possessions in order to positively impact the game. With the Adams/JV swap, the Memphis offense instantly created 7 more shots for guys like Bane and Morant. Shots by those players physically open up the court and add more additional opportunities for the rest of the team. Steven is third on the Grizzlies in assists, behind only Ja and Tyus. That’s one area where he has exceeded my expectations - I was unaware of how good of a passer he truly is. Adams plays a pivotal role on this roster and he has done everything that he needs to do - set hard screens, rebound, and make savvy passes.
Brandon Clarke - B+
After a tough season last year, Clarke is back to his high-flying and efficient-scoring self. Per Cleaning the Glass, he is scoring 133.7 points per 100 shot attempts, which puts him at the top of the league among forwards. He is back to his bread and butter and crushing it in the dunker spot. He is taking roughly 90% of his shots at the rim or in the short mid-range. The three point is not part of his arsenal, but he is making teams pay for their extra focus on his teammates, converting at an eFG rate of 65%. BC is also dishing the ball out for assists at the best rate of his three NBA seasons. In only 17 minutes per game, he is pulling in 1.9 offensive rebounds and blocking a shot per contest. This is the efficient and effective Brandon Clarke that Memphis fans expected to see more of following an exceptional rookie season.
Dillon Brooks - B
Between injuries and COVID protocols, Dillon the Villain has missed a lot of gametime this season. When Ja was out, Dillon took full advantage and racked up career highs in shot attempts. Big shocker there. He is having a down year from the three point line, but when Brooks is on the floor, the Grizzlies are just better. Dillon is opting to take less threes per game and is getting to the rim more than in past seasons. His assist numbers are also up this year, with a significant portion of those going to Jaren.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Grizzlies are much more staunch with Dillon than without. Per CTG, Memphis gives up 6.2 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the court. It’s no coincidence that the Grizzlies defensive-minded tenacity and culture started to reappear once Brooks reentered the lineup.
John Konchar - B+
Konchar’s efficiency is almost laughable - in the best way. This guy is in the basement for usage (2nd percentile) among guards, but is in the 95th percentile for points per shot attempt. What a frustrating player for an opponent to have thrown into their gameplan. He plays 16 minutes per night and always seems to muck things up and get involved in the most undercover way (until it’s not). Konchar has actually seen some run in pretty impactful situations and can be trusted as someone who is going to make the most of his minutes.
Killian Tillie - B
The undrafted stretch big out of Gonzaga has been solid for Memphis this year. He’s done well enough that the team converted his contract from a two way to a full time agreement. When the Grizzlies were short handed, he stepped up and even started a few games. He fell out of the draft due to injury concerns and Memphis picked him up on the cheap and he has earned a contract upgrade in basically half of a season, so props to him.
Ziaire Williams - B
I was going to give Z a C, but if I go back and look at my draft board and notes, I admit that I wasn’t super high on the Williams pick at the time - therefore setting the bar and my expectations low. Before Williams went down with an ankle injury earlier in the year, he was pretty much terrible and his play was hurting the Grizzlies each night. The guy was on track for a negative WAR for crying out loud. Since he has returned from injury, he’s been a new man. He’s flying high above the rim, taking big time shots without intrepidation, and playing tough defense. His play has been night and day and this makes me optimistic about the future. I think he now knows his role on this team and the rest of the squad is helping him grow and develop as a young player in this league.
Kyle Anderson - B-
Last season, Kyle was so critical to this team and helped hold it all together during times of distress and times without Ja. He had a career season last year and we are now in the reality that he has come back down to earth and settled into his more permanent role as a glue guy on this roster. Anderson does a little bit of everything and typically rises to the occasion. When in a pinch, Taylor Jenkins has rotated Kyle over to guard the opponent’s best player after Dillon and Jaren get their 15th fouls of the game. The bad news on Kyle this year is that the Grizzlies are overall pretty rough when he’s out there - to the tune of minus-12.9 points per 100 possessions. The numbers there are kind of muddy because a lot of that has to do with lineups. When KA is playing the three with Jaren and Adams in the frontcourt, things are ugly. But when Kyle is playing the small-ball four, he is able to outwit opponents and gain an edge.
Xavier Tillman - C
Tillman has seen a decrease in minutes this season and hasn’t seemed himself on either side of the floor. His impact has been sporadic, but I wouldn’t count out the versatile big man who played a big role in the playoffs last season for the Grizzlies.
De’Anthony Melton - C
I did not expect to be grading out Melton this low, but this season he has yet to grab his opportunities by the horns. He is getting more reps this season, but his shot just has not fallen for him so far. Seems weird to give a C to someone who averages nearly 10 points, 3 assists, 4 boards, and over a steal per game. Since this grade is based on my preseason expectations, I could have just set the bar too high. If you had told me before the year how much time Brooks was going to miss, I definitely would have assumed that Melt would have been the guy to fill his shoes, step up, and shine. To me, that just hasn’t been the case so far this season.
Santi Aldama - C
It’s way too early to say much about Aldama. He’s really struggled to hit the three point shot in the NBA. There have been stretches where he shows some adeptness on either end of the floor and it gives you a little glimpse of why Kleiman and co. selected him last Summer. Big picture - it’s probably going to be 2-3 more years before we can tell what the Grizzlies have in Santi.
Not mentioned: Jarrett Culver and some other random guys
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