Davis Howe was in the FedEx Forum Thursday night for the Memphis Grizzlies’ second preseason game. The final score wasn’t pretty, but there was a lot to take away.
I told my friend before we sat down for the game that we would probably have a lot of fun in the first half before suffering through the second. I wish I hadn’t been quite so right. After a well-contested first half in which we got to see another monster slam jam from D.J. Stephens and watched Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard absolutely bully each other in the paint, the Memphis Grizzlies’ offense fell apart in the second half, scoring only 34 points as they limped to the finish line.
One narrative emerging from tonight’s game: with the backup point guard duo of Wade Baldin IV and Andrew Harrison failing to garner attention, those vying for roster spots begged for attention. Like my last preseason analysis, I’ll do my best to rank this from best-to-worst player performances.
He was a late addition to training camp, but now he demands attention, and maybe a few more top 10 of the preseason plays:
This is what happens when you don't box out #Grizzlies DJ Stephens @DdotJAY30 his rim-rocking put back tonight vs. Hawks pic.twitter.com/gpp9hYxPl3
— Bryan Fenley (@BryanFenley) October 7, 2016
On 1 play tonight Dwight Howard swatted by JaMychal Green @Jmyke1 then by Marc Gasol @MarcGasol pic.twitter.com/y9UPbnatxN
— Bryan Fenley (@BryanFenley) October 7, 2016
The matchup was also relentlessly physical, and in that area Marc Gasol also shined, forcing Dwight Howard into committing four fouls while only committing two fouls of his own. In only his second NBA game back from injury, our boy is already making supposed star centers look silly. You can bet I’m ready for the real season to start.
Everyone Else: James Ennis was unremarkable, scoring only two points to go with three rebounds and two fouls. Troy Daniels continues to fail in his one job: shooting. Vince Carter looked passable until early fouls sat him too soon. Zbo shot well, 4-for-7, but only pulled down two rebounds. Brandan Wright, who served as the offensive anchor to close out vs. the Orlando Magic, contributed five points while in a completely ineffective lineup that earned him the second worst +/- with -18. I hope not to see Tony Wroten play any more minutes. Chris Crawford and Wayne Selden, both of whom are on the chopping block, failed to impress.
With one more home game before shipping out for three away games until the season starts, here’s hoping we get another nail-biter on Tuesday vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. Maybe we can hope for less missed layups (looking at you, No. 5).