Top takeways from the weekend
Blunders in the Windy City, Rowdy Roddy, karry on Kennard, defensively dominant Jaren
Grizzlies blew it on Benny’s Birthday
If you live out of market and are a league pass junkie like me, you probably enjoy (or are at least intrigued) by the opponent’s in-game entertainment that you are privy to. It was apparently Benny the Bull’s birthday Sunday and the Chicago pulled out all the stops to ensure that the legendary mascot got the most out of his special day.
If there’s ever a basketball adage that proves itself time and time again, it has to be that basketball is a game of runs and shooting will regress to the mean. While the Grizzlies were scalding hot from the field in the first half, there is never a lead too big in the NBA. The Grizzlies themselves have proven that true multiple times this year.
I don’t think the second half collapse is entirely indicative of things to come for the Memphis. It certainly exposes some areas where the Grizzlies were exploited for their complacency. The total lack of ball safety was disappointing and negated the Grizzlies effective shooting afternoon. When you cough up the rock and give the opponent additional opportunities, it becomes hard to compete for a full 48 minutes.
Hopefully the failure on Sunday is something that the Grizzlies can learn from, gain some mental fortitude, and prevent going forward.
David Roddy may not be Melton, but he’s got his own flavor
It’s going to take more than a month of intriguing play before we reach the point where the Melton trade last Summer was for the immediate betterment of the Grizzlies. I’m not sure that I’ll every concede that Roddy is a better player than Melton, but time will tell. It does however, appear that Roddy is on the perfect roster to flourish.
In the month of March he earned 7.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17 minutes of play per game. He added to that with .9 steals and .8 STOCKS per game as well. While these numbers don’t jump off the page - especially if you check out his 44/31/64 shooting splits, he has done the most with the minutes that he has been given. He’s a slightly above average rebounder, which is an area that Memphis desperately needs assistance with during the absence of Steven Adams.
Each and every night Roddy brings the energy and versatility on the defensive end that helps to bridge the various gaps on the roster caused by injury and suspension.
He had many exciting plays in the month of March, but he may have saved the best for the end.
Jaren builds on his DPOY case
Prior to the Chicago game, the online celebrity funakistats released another edition of his admirable Jaren DPOY campaign work.
Jaren is one of the most mobile and ferocious rim defenders in recent league history and stands alone atop the Grizzlies’ franchise record books for the second time. He has now registered at least one block in the last ten games and in 90% of his games this season has earned a swat.
Kennard keeps ‘em coming
If you want to talk about a move around the margins, adding Luke Kennard at the trade deadline was just that for the Grizzlies. While his usage is at a career low, Kennard is in the 100th percentile for shot efficiency for guards.
Oddly, Kennard is actually a slight net negative when on the court. This is driven by a few largely negative groupings that only have 20-ish possessions together combined with a Morant/Kennard/Aldama/Brooks/Tillman lineup that is a minus -6.9 in 119 possessions.
However, when Kennard and Bane share the court together, the Grizzlies are a plus +18.3 per 100 possessions in 448 possessions. This is elite level territory and in the 100th percentile. Who would have thought that putting two of the best shooters in the league on the floor would yield good results?
I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but when Morant, Bane, and Kennard are on the court together, the Grizzlies are an astronomical plus -59.3 points per 100 possession - in just 54 total trips down the floor. None of those potential lineups have more than 9 possessions together so that is the epitome of small sample size theater, but still something to monitor going forward.