No. 3: How the first and second units perform
At the week’s start, Dave Fizdale announced his plans to start the season with Chandler Parsons off the bench. In addition, he said the opening night starting 5 will be Mike Conley, Andrew Harrison, James Ennis, JaMychal Green and Marc Gasol.
Each unit has strikingly different styles.
The starting unit might be the more defensive-minded one. With Harrison, Ennis and Green, they possess a 2-4 combo that can switch on any pick-and-roll without sacrificing too much size and speed. While Mike Conley and Marc Gasol can score 30 points a night, the other three players on the court are limited offensively. They’re players who’ll be more beneficiaries instead of creators.
For the Grizzlies to start strong, one of the three (Harrison, Ennis and Green) have to help Gasol and Conley offensively.
The second unit is definitely the team’s offense-oriented lineup. They consist of five players who can easily go for double-digit points with the potential to go for 15-20. Mario Chalmers and Tyreke Evans are two dynamic playmakers who can push the ball and create for others and themselves. Dillon Brooks is the perfect wing to compliment the unit as he can focus on making gritty plays defensively and knocking down easy spot-up triples. While Chandler Parsons is finding his rhythm, he still has a high basketball IQ and can create for others. If he can get his own shots falling, there’s a new dynamic off the bench. Then, they have Brandan Wright, a long, athletic center who can protect the rim and finish easy lobs.
In this game, we’ll see if the units are just right. However, given the lack of offensive weapons alongside Conley and Gasol, we can see a case where the starting unit is overmatched.