The Memphis Grizzlies will play their first 2019-2020 NBA game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, October 23rd. How do these two rebuilding teams stack up?
After a crazy summer, the Memphis Grizzlies will put all those roster moves to the test against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, October 23rd. With an uncertain lineup, and a depth chart filled with talented but still unproven players (not to mention the whole Andre Iguodala situation), the Grizzlies seem to have a lot more riding on this game than the Heat.
This game is going to end up being a tale of two things: duos and rookies. On the Grizzlies’ side, the duo of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson JR. looks incredibly appealing. Combined, this duo averaged 25.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. Together, they would make 43.5% of their field goals.
On the Heat’s side, you have Jimmy Butler and Kelly Olynyk. Butler has had a tumultuous career over these last few years, bouncing around from team-to-team, leaving behind a trail of mostly dissatisfied teammates along the way.
Olynyk is slightly different. Seen as a nice roster piece to the Boston Celtics from 2014-2016, Olynyk averaged 10.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game during that span. However, a down year lead him to a quick stint in the G-League, and he would later sign with the Miami Heat. Now, after a successful rebound year, Olynyk is looking to get back to the same consistence that he once had.
These two teams will also be relying on their rookies for a lot of the production. For Memphis, Ja Morant is going to look to start at the one spot, and he will quickly be seen as the leader of the team when he is on the floor. A tough position to be in as a rookie, and he’ll have to work to find his rhythm.
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For Miami, Tyler Hero is perhaps one of the most underrated draft picks of the 2019 draft, and he’s going to look to prove himself. By the looks of things, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to, as he is projected to start the game.
This will be a matchup between two teams looking to prove everybody wrong, and they’ll both be looking to showcase their ability in a time when the NBA is probably as open and unpredictable as it has ever been. Every win will count for these teams, and you can expect them to fight tooth and nail through every minute of this game to make sure that they don’t start the season out on a sour note.
The Grizzlies will be looking to show exactly what this revamped roster is made of through all 82 games of the 2019-2020 regular season, and their debut against the Miami Heat will be no exception. Expect fast-paced play, high production offense, but most importantly, hope for a win.