The Memphis Grizzlies must address their half-court offense on..
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Over the last four years, the Memphis Grizzlies have transformed into a legitimate glamor franchise characterized by swagger and star-power. Gone are the days of sublime Marc Gasol high-low passes and bruising Zach Randolph post-ups; the time of electric Ja Morant dunks and ferocious Jaren Jackson Jr. blocks has arrived.
The Memphis Grizzlies must address their half-court offense on..
Yet for all the acclaim and attention they now receive in ways that they never did so in the past, the Memphis Grizzlies still cannot shoot. The grass withers, and the flower fades, but the Grizzlies seem to be destined to always build houses with an ever-increasing supply of bricks.
Of course, that’s not to say the Grizzlies aren’t an elite basketball team; I have zero doubt that someone who reads this column will accuse me of nitpicking one of the best and youngest teams in the NBA. They are 2nd in defensive rating (109.3) and 3rd in overall net rating (4.7). They are currently tied for first in the Western Conference standings, and I predict that they’ll end up finishing there, as they have the 7th easiest remaining schedule by opponent winning percentage, per Tankathon.
READ MORE:Shannon Sharpe apologized for the fight with Dillon Brooks, Ja Morant and concluded that….
But after already finishing with the second-best record in the entire league last season, the Grizzlies should have higher ambitions than just being the first seed in the West. Even with the front office refusing to go all-in for a championship, they can still hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in June. They just have two related flaws— half-court offense and shooting — that they will likely need to address in order to do so. They are currently 22nd in 3PT% (34.1) and 23rd in half-court offense (0.94 points per play, per Cleaning the Glass). Some may claim that this is a result of Desmond Bane missing extended time, but they faced the same problem last season, as they were 17th in 3PT% (35.3) and 22nd in half-court offense (0.93).
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
To be clear, the Grizzlies are thriving without being even decent in these areas, and they’re dominant enough in other ways that they don’t even need to be great in these areas to win the title. As I broke down last year, they manage to be a good offensive team, because they give themselves extra possessions by dominating the offensive glass. They also create turnovers and thrive in transition. All of this together usually compensates for their relatively anemic shooting and half-court offense woes in the regular season.
However, this is historically not a recipe to win a championship. You don’t have to necessarily be a great shooting team to win a title; the 2019-20 Lakers ranked 21st in 3PT%. But you do have to be able to execute in the half-court; since 2010, every NBA champion has ranked at least 15th or higher in half-court offense.
The Memphis Grizzlies must address their half-court offense on..
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Over the last four years, the Memphis Grizzlies have transformed into a legitimate glamor franchise characterized by swagger and star-power. Gone are the days of sublime Marc Gasol high-low passes and bruising Zach Randolph post-ups; the time of electric Ja Morant dunks and ferocious Jaren Jackson Jr. blocks has arrived.
The Memphis Grizzlies must address their half-court offense on..
Yet for all the acclaim and attention they now receive in ways that they never did so in the past, the Memphis Grizzlies still cannot shoot. The grass withers, and the flower fades, but the Grizzlies seem to be destined to always build houses with an ever-increasing supply of bricks.
Of course, that’s not to say the Grizzlies aren’t an elite basketball team; I have zero doubt that someone who reads this column will accuse me of nitpicking one of the best and youngest teams in the NBA. They are 2nd in defensive rating (109.3) and 3rd in overall net rating (4.7). They are currently tied for first in the Western Conference standings, and I predict that they’ll end up finishing there, as they have the 7th easiest remaining schedule by opponent winning percentage, per Tankathon.
READ MORE:Shannon Sharpe apologized for the fight with Dillon Brooks, Ja Morant and concluded that….
But after already finishing with the second-best record in the entire league last season, the Grizzlies should have higher ambitions than just being the first seed in the West. Even with the front office refusing to go all-in for a championship, they can still hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy in June. They just have two related flaws— half-court offense and shooting — that they will likely need to address in order to do so. They are currently 22nd in 3PT% (34.1) and 23rd in half-court offense (0.94 points per play, per Cleaning the Glass). Some may claim that this is a result of Desmond Bane missing extended time, but they faced the same problem last season, as they were 17th in 3PT% (35.3) and 22nd in half-court offense (0.93).
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
To be clear, the Grizzlies are thriving without being even decent in these areas, and they’re dominant enough in other ways that they don’t even need to be great in these areas to win the title. As I broke down last year, they manage to be a good offensive team, because they give themselves extra possessions by dominating the offensive glass. They also create turnovers and thrive in transition. All of this together usually compensates for their relatively anemic shooting and half-court offense woes in the regular season.
However, this is historically not a recipe to win a championship. You don’t have to necessarily be a great shooting team to win a title; the 2019-20 Lakers ranked 21st in 3PT%. But you do have to be able to execute in the half-court; since 2010, every NBA champion has ranked at least 15th or higher in half-court offense.
