Memphis Grizzlies: 3 takeaways from loss to Bucks

No. 1: Something needs to change in the starting 5

It doesn’t matter how they do it, but the starting 5 needs a facelift. Jarell Martin is a barely a NBA player, yet alone a starter. James Ennis and Dillon Brooks are great fits alongside Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, but they need another playmaker around the stars.

There are plenty of routes for the Grizzlies.

They could go smaller by taking Jarell Martin out of the lineup for Ben McLemore. In the process, it would move Brooks to the 3 and Ennis to the 4. This lineup would give Conley and Gasol more spacing, speed and athleticism. In addition, it’ll allow McLemore to find a rhythm and get going offensively.

The Grizzlies could also move Chandler Parsons to the 4. Conley and Gasol need more offensive creators, and Parsons isn’t getting enough touches off the bench. This lineup change could be the seeds to what fulfills the vision of the Grizzlies’ new big 3.

Or, they could simply start the team’s best player: Tyreke Evans. Your best player shouldn’t come off the bench. Point blank.

The starting 5 isn’t cutting it — largely due to the inconsistency of Gasol and Conley, limited playmaking of Ennis and mediocrity of Martin.