Memphis Grizzlies: J.B. Bickerstaff Must Trust Results with MarShon Brooks

MarShon Brooks continues to have a roller coaster ride of a role with the Memphis Grizzlies, but the results are positive when his number is called.

Though it was to be expected for the 2018-19 Memphis Grizzlies squad to showcase an ever-changing rotation due to an easily interchangeable components, guard MarShon Brooks was pencilled in as the team’s Sixth Man.

It only made sense. On paper, the team was built upon a strong defensive foundation. Through 27 games, the Grizzlies’ team defense has absolutely lived up to the hype. Alternatively, MarShon’s role as the team’s first guy off the bench has not remained consistent. It has been everything but consistent.

Far away from being Memphis’ best defenseman, his value lies within his offensive skills, he packs the punch with putting points on the scoreboard. He can create his shot in a plethora of ways at any moment during the shot clock. MarShon’s ability to be a go-to scorer should be something that is desired by the Grizzlies’ coaching staff.

It truly has been a roller coaster ride for MarShon Brooks this season. He has only played more than 20 minutes in three games. The majority of his nightly appearances have been made in the 10- to 15-minute range, but he has suffered the occasional and dreaded “DNP-CD” in the box score.

This speaks volumes to the Memphis Grizzlies’ great depth. On the other hand, it highlights Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff‘s youthfulness as a first-year full-time NBA head coach. Exactly one-third of the way through the season schedule, he is still formulating a solid rotation.

The Grizzlies are desperate for offense with ongoing shooting woes from three-time All-Star center Marc Gasol and even Mike Conley, though to a lesser degree. MarShon Brooks makes perfect sense as he has been a secret weapon of sorts for Memphis. With his playing time all over the charts, opposing teams may acknowledge his existence but they are not necessarily game-planning for Brooks.

This was evident in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 92-83 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. MarShon received the nod from J.B. Bickerstaff in the first quarter and immediately went to work after the Grizzlies’ starters managed to produce just four points.

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Not only did Brooks stop Memphis’ bleeding following an 11-2 deficit, but he was a major factor in pulling even with Portland at 28 with 7:49 remaining in the first half. It was not just his scoring that gave the Grizzlies a boost, but his playmaking ability was on full display, too. MarShon logged three assists leading up to the game-typing three-point basket by JaMychal Green.

Wednesday evening had multiple heroes in the hard-fought game by the home team. Mike Conley made yet another case for himself to be named a Western Conference All-Star. JaMychal had another big showing off the bench. Jaren Jackson Jr. nailed a couple big triples, including the dagger to seal the deal. Regardless of how the final quarter played out, it was all about how the Memphis Grizzlies got there.

It looked as if their sunk would continue to sink. Yet, MarShon Brooks produced when his name was called by Bickerstaff. The Grizzlies guard has remained ready no matter how many minutes his role would see. Without MarShon coming up big in the first half on Wednesday, the outcome very well could have been very different.

MarShon Brooks finished with 13 points on an efficient 55.6% shooting accuracy to accompany four rebounds, three assists, and one steal in just under 18 minutes of action. It should come as no surprise that he earned a +10 rating on the night.

Brooks’ presence is something that is typically found within Grizz victories. Regardless of his minutes total, the Memphis Grizzlies are 7-3 when MarShon shoots greater than 50% from the field. This accounts for 43.75% of Memphis’ win total, mind you Brooks has not appeared in three games in 2018-19.

This means J.B. Bickerstaff must continue to trust MarShon in the secondary unit to round out the first quarter in games. A five-man group of MarShon Brooks paired with JaMychal Green, Joakim Noah, Shelvin Mack, and some combination of Omri Casspi or Wayne Selden is quite powerful. The perfect word to describe this lineup is “attacking” on both ends of the court.

Not only does MarShon deserve minutes early in the game, but Bickerstaff must go back to him in the second half. He was shooting 100% on four shot attempts in Monday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, but did not see minutes outside of the first half. It is no mystery as to why the Grizzlies cooled off as the game transpired.

Since achieving the Western Conference‘s top record, Memphis has hit some snags in the road and much of it stems from lack of offense. Yet, there is MarShon Brooks in the Memphis Grizzlies’ arsenal — playing just 13.9 minutes per game. It makes you wonder how many of Memphis’ 11 losses could have been reversed had Brooks been utilizing more often.

Though the possiblity of MarShon becoming the NBA’s 2019 Sixth Man of the Year award winner is highly unlikely, there is plenty of time for J.B. Bickerstaff to right this Grizzly ship by better utilizing No. 8. Grizz Nation needs to see more of Wednesday’s rotation and less of Monday’s.