Memphis Grizzlies: Dillon Brooks Is Needed Back In A Big Way

Who Needs To Step Up

The Grizzlies rely on Conley and Gasol and that’s fine but they need other guys to step up as well. They’re great players but they need more help.

MarShon Brooks is a guy who we know what he’s gonna give. He’s gonna come in and hit a couple shots and if he makes some defensive plays that’s just a bonus.

These three guys have all shown they can play better than they currently are, and with Dillon Brooks out, we’re gonna need them to do so at least until he returns.

Shelvin Mack

Shelvin Mack has been playing possibly the best basketball of his career this season. Despite that, he has struggled some in recent games.

He was shooting over 50% from three-point ranger earlier this season and now it is down to 43%, which is still a very good percentage.

His ability to run the offense with the second unit is huge. The Grizzlies have struggled with Conley on the bench, but it would be much worse if it weren’t for Mack.

So far through the first 19 games, he is averaging 9.8 points and 3.5 assists per game. That would be a career-high for him in scoring.

His minutes have continued to decrease as it is becoming evident that Jackson needs more minutes. Mack will still close some games but don’t expect him to do so every game like he was to start the season.

Memphis needs him to be more aggressive like he was to start the season. They need him to have more confidence attacking the basket, as well as hitting pull up jumpers.

Garrett Temple

Even though Temple is a starter he still is a guy who has struggled recently and the team has struggled as a result.

At the end of both of the last two losses he had key turnovers that were costly and if he doesn’t turn it over against the Knicks, maybe the Grizzlies win that game.

Everybody makes mistakes so to blame him for the loss isn’t fair but they still expect more out of him. He has surprised a lot of people this season and with that comes higher expectations.

Temple has a career-high in a few categories so far this season. His 10.9 points per game and his 45% shooting from the field are both career-highs.

His defense is good like it is every year but they need him to continue to make an impact on the offensive end. If he keeps struggling, the Grizzlies may have to consider moving Brooks into the starting lineup when he returns from injury.

Wayne Selden

Wayne Selden is the guy that they might need to step up the most. He is a big physical guard who has struggled in many ways.

He has had many defensive miscues which have led to him doing too much by taking bad shot attempts on the offensive end.

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Selden has seemed to lose confidence in his game and has led to some bad plays from him we aren’t used to seeing.

He is the guy who’s minutes correlate most with Brooks’ injury. They play the same position on the wing which has led to him being the backup small forward.

Kyle Anderson still plays some at the four since the Grizzlies have had some success with their smaller lineups.

Before Brooks got hurt he and Selden didn’t have the same amount of pressure. It seemed that at least one of them would have a good game which is all this team needed most nights.

Now it seems Selden is feeling the pressure and it is showing. He needs to regain his confidence somehow and play well these next few weeks to help the Grizzlies pick up some key victories.

Other players need to step up as well but it’s these three guys who are needed the most to provide key minutes for the second unit.