Memphis Grizzlies: What happened to Brandon Clarke’s playing time?

The Memphis Grizzlies had a poor defensive performance against the Utah Jazz but have been playing otherwise great basketball since the start of the play-in tournament. They’ve been doing this without much help from their bigs.

Guards like Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks have been leading the team, especially when Jonas Valanciunas has found himself in foul trouble. But who has been filling in more directly for Jonas Valanciunas when he’s in foul trouble?

Well, it’s not so direct. In fact, the Grizzlies only really have one true center on the team, and it’s JV. The Lithuanian big man is the tallest, bulkiest player on the team. And even though Jaren Jackson Jr. technically has a larger wingspan and just as much height, he cannot hang with old-fashioned centers.

So in a way, there isn’t a true backup for JV.

That said, it seems like the Grizzlies throw in Xavier Tillman and have JJJ slide into more of a center role, while Tillman plays the four. In fact, as the season has progressed, Tillman has increasingly become the primary big man behind JV and JJJ.

You could count Kyle Anderson, but in reality, he’s more of a three than a four. That said, he would be the last name on the list of big men that the Grizzlies have been playing with their season on the line.

Memphis Grizzlies C Xavier Tillman has stolen all of Brandon Clarke’s minutes

But there’s one name that was left off of that list that many fans would have expected to be a key part of the rotation this season. That name is Brandon Clarke.

We have not seen Clarke play a single minute since the postseason began, including the play-in tournament.

The forward out of Gonzaga was one of the more surprising rookies in the NBA last season, proving to be a force immediately. Prior to the 2020-21 season, fans were ready for a huge jump in year two.

And even though a bulk of the Grizzlies’ roster took that jump, BC did not. In fact, one could even make the argument that the forward regressed from his first season in the league. Here’s a comparison of his numbers.

2019: 12.1 PPG, 61.8% FG, 35.9% 3PT FG

2020: 10.3 PPG, 51.7% FG, 26.0% 3PT FG

I’m cherry-picking the numbers a bit, but those are all very important figures. Clarke has improved on the defensive end slightly but his offensive numbers have dropped drastically with only a slight increase in shooting volume.

Meanwhile, Xavier Tillman has been the most surprising rookie in the NBA this season, sneaking his way into a crowded Grizzlies rotation. He has been so good, in fact, that he has virtually stolen Brandon Clarke’s minutes at this point in the season.

It’s unclear how Taylor Jenkins plans to move forward, but for the remainder of 2021, it looks like Xavier Tillman will be the team’s third big.