Memphis Grizzlies: Which position is most worrisome?
By Ken Newhouse
May 3, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) shoots the basketball against Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights (5) during the second quarter in game one of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Power Forward/Center
Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol have been the life blood of the Memphis Grizzlies for the past five years. The smash brothers consistently put up 30-35 points each game giving the Grizzlies’ an opportunity to win each time.
Gasol (30) & Randolph (34) are getting to a point in their career where age will start to affect them. That leaves Jarrell Martin, Jarnell Stokes, and Brandan Wright with some big shoes to fill in case one of starters gets injured.
Martin was the Grizzlies’ first round draft pick out of LSU this year. He suffered a foot injury, but will likely be ready to play when the regular season rolls around.
Stokes is a sophomore forward out of Tennessee. He’s little undersized at 6′ 9″, but is a tenacious rebounder in traffic like Randolph. At this point, he’s likely to be Randolph’s back up to start the season.
Wright will be coming off of the bench to primarily fill in at center for Gasol. Wright is a very efficient forward, and can play both positions down low. He sported a PER of 20.44 last season which is exceptional for a bench player.
Unfortunately the Grizzlies’ still lack a true back up center. If Gasol or Randolph get injured for an extended period of time, it wouldn’t shock me if the Grizzlies’ went out and made a move for a big man early in the season.