Beale Street Bears
Fansided

Looking at how the Memphis Grizzlies match up with the Golden State Warriors

By Taylor Buckley

April 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) fouls Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 125-104. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
April 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) fouls Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 125-104. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next

Small Forwards

Mar 7, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and forward Jeff Green (8) defend against Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons (25) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and forward Jeff Green (8) defend against Dallas Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons (25) during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

With the small forward position being one of the most important to fill, it’s nice to find two teams with stars at that position. Lets see whose star player is better.

Scoring.

This coming season, don’t be surprised to see Parsons offensive numbers jump to career highs. He will be one of the focal points of the offense and should get all the touches he needs to do work. But right now, this one is a no-brainer, as efficient as Parsons is on offense with his 41 percent 3-point stroke and 57.1 eFG percentage, KD is that much better. It’s really ridiculous how good Durant is on offense, the man averaged 28.2 points per game last season! He can score from anywhere on the court, no matter what you do he’s going to score. Whether he’s pulling up from deep or driving to the rim, it really isn’t fair.

ADVANTAGE: Kevin Durant

Rebounding.

Last year, KD almost averaged double-digits rebounds (8.2rpg), my guess is he averages a little less than that this year. Parsons on the other hand only averaged 4.7 rebounds a game. But with Memphis potentially trying to go small with Parsons at the 4 he should see a spike in his rebounding number. It’s pretty close but right now.

ADVANTAGE: Chandler Parsons

Defense.

This year in order for the Grizzlies to succeed Parsons has to buy into playing hard at the defensive end. His number last year were less than stellar, averaging 0.8 steals a game to go along with 0.3 blocks per game. If I had to bet Parsons buys into the “Grit n Grind” mentality and we see a spike in his defensive numbers. Durant, on the other hand, put up a solid year on the defensive end, averaging 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. With Durant’s opportunistic defensive game and the likely Parsons resurgence on that end, its pretty even. This is where the Grizzlies’ secret weapon comes in, Tony Allen. We know Allen is a beast on defense but he steps it up against Durant. I mean look at this, I’m pretty sure you can hear Durant calling him “Daddy”.

ADVANTAGE: Parsons and the Grizzlies

The Verdict.

In the head to head matchup, its hard to pick against Durant. With his stellar offensive game to go with his solid game every where else. I do think he will put up less offensive number just due to the amount of talent on the Warriors. Parsons isn’t that far behind and it pains me to pick against such a handsome fellow, but:

Overall Advantage: Kevin Durant

Next: The Bigs

Home/Grizzlies News