Discussion: Orlando Looks for Magic vs. Memphis Grizzlies

What has been the Grizzlies’/Magic’s biggest weaknesses in recent games and how can that be rectified for each team?

BDR: Here’s Orlando: Effort. Sad as it is to say, effort. Against the Knicks, Nikola Vucevic just watched a couple times as Lance Thomas paraded to the hole. In seriousness, the first time I saw him on a small TV, I thought “Kurt Thomas is STILL in the league?” So, yes, there is no way he should have been abusing the Magic interior like that. But therein lies the rub: Everyone is abusing the Magic inside. Even boxing out has been lackadaisical and half-hearted. Without a 110% effort kind of night, the Magic lose—most games. The Grizz certainly are a team that will punish Orlando if they come out flat-footed.

CD: The most glaring weakness for the Grizzlies is bench production. It has fluctuated over the first half of the season and they have come up big against top opponents (such as the victory over Golden State). The bench plays some good defense, but they need to find a way to put points on the board–plain and simple. With the Jeff Green addition, the Grizzlies can switch up their rotations pretty easily to determine if Green, Lee, or Allen should start of come off the bench. Bench production might be the area that the three-team trade helps most come playoff time.