Memphis Grizzlies Preseason Debut Against the Houston Rockets Preview
By AJ Salah
Spreading Their Wings
The Rockets thrive on perimeter play, and will be heavily incentivized to feed their wing players touches. First off, they have to figure out just what exactly pseudo-star Carmelo Anthony is doing for them. “Hoodie Melo” murdered any hope of Team USA Melo existing in OKC. It is unlikely the same routine will fly in Houston, but possibly equally unlikely Melo’s willingness to change.
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Once that novel is written, the role of former Grizzly James Ennis must be defined. Ennis will, by necessity, play decent minutes this season when Melo canot be hidden on defense. He is a below-average shooter from distance, whom the Rockets hope to mold in their image.
Especially without P.J. Tucker (day-to-day; back), there figures to be lots of touches fed to Houston’s new wings. Add James Harden and Chris Paul — even if in subdued roles — and Memphis’ swingmen are sure to be tested on defense.
Conversely, between Melo’s presence and a lack of continuity, Houston’s own defense is sure to start worse than last year’s iteration.
This is a good thing, because the Memphis Grizzlies’ wing rotation is currently a game of Clue. No clear roles or pecking order have been defined, or at least not that coach J.B. Bickerstaff will admit.
A match-up with a perimeter-heavy Houston team figuring their own stuff out is a good baseline for Memphis. They can get reps on defense against a polished, modern offense, while testing their own attack against a damaged resistance. This is all within a setting where the loss column does not matter.