Grizzlies finally giving Troy Daniels an expanded role

Finally, after weeks of dominance, Troy Daniels is set to be rewarded with much more playing time.

The Grizzlies have spent years playing the same style of basketball. “Grit ‘n Grind” defense and reliance on big men Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph on offense. The only issue in recent years has been a lack of a legitimate 3-point threat, especially off of the bench.

Until now.

After a slow start to the season, Troy Daniels has proven that he’s a legitimate threat from behind the arc. In just shy of 20 minutes per game, Daniels is averaging 10.1 points per game, good for fourth-best on the team. His outstanding shooting (41 percent from 3) is a big part of the Grizzlies’ success. He’s also a very clutch shooter. This was never more evident than in Friday’s win over the Houston Rockets.

With 26 seconds in the 4th quarter, Daniels sunk an unbelievable 3-pointer from 29-feet out, killing any hopes for a Rockets comeback. That set the Grizz up 110-103 and put the game out of reach for Houston. This sealed the victory and caused head coach David Fizdale to have this to say:

"“I’m going to play with this for a little while and let (T.A.) be the backup one. I’ve been talking about this since I got here,” Fizdale said. “Now that we’re starting to get a full squad, and Troy Daniels being a guy I just have to find a way to play, Andrew is the guy who has to suffer. It’s nothing that Andrew did. I have great confidence in him. But right now, there’s just not enough minutes to go around and I’ve got to get Troy Daniels on the court.”"

What This Means:

Although Andrew Harrison is losing his spot in the rotation, the Grizz will be better for it. It’s exciting to see that Coach Fizdale understands what Daniels brings to the table. Not only that, he’s prepared to do whatever is necessary to keep it going.

During the month of January, Daniels has been one of the league’s most impactful players.

During January, the Grizzlies are plus-70 with Troy Daniels on the court and minus-78 with him on the bench.
— Kevin Pelton (@kpelton) January 14, 2017

If there’s one thing this team has desperately needed, it’s a spark plug on offense. There’s no doubt in my mind that this bump in minutes will take this Grizzlies team to an even higher level.

I know it’s early, but players like Daniels seem to be the difference between a playoff team and a championship team.

The combo of an elite defense, great offense inside and out and a strong coach is hard to achieve. Coach Fizdale understands what it takes to win. In addition, he’s going to make the Grizzlies one team that people are going to fear, come playoff time.

Finally, after weeks of dominance, Troy Daniels is set to be rewarded with much more playing time.

What This Means:

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