No. 2: Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane won’t play that poorly again
Oh, Dillon Brooks. Love him or hate him, you still have to live with him. Give him some credit, he has unflappable confidence— even in the face of shooting 3-13 from the field. Brooks missed nine of his first 10 shot attempts in Game 1, but he still kept shooting.
Brooks excels on defense, but is usually good for about 18 points per game, which was his season average this year, but he’s streaky.
It’s nothing new from Brooks, who is a notoriously high-volume shooter. It could take him 18 shots to score 18 points. He’s got to make better decisions about when to shoot. I would love for him to drive to the basket in attempt to try to draw fouls to get to the free throw line when his shot isn’t falling.
Bane’s tough scoring day was much more uncharacteristic. He scored just nine points in Game 1, his fewest since Feb. 28 when he scored 8 against San Antonio.
After being the unofficial MVP of the series vs Minnesota, Bane was way off the mark from his usual self vs Golden State. That likely won’t happen again.
Expect Brooks and Bane to play much better in Game 2 and beyond for the Grizzlies.
No. 3: Getting Steven Adams, Ziaire Williams back will give boost to the Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies big man Steven Adams is stuck in Health & Safety Protocols for an undisclosed amount of time. Hopefully he can return in the next day or so and be ready to contribute.
The Grizzlies desperately need someone to help patrol the paint and grab offensive rebounds. Fortunately for Memphis, Steven Adams led the entire league in offensive rebounds per game during the regular season.
His big frame will help clog the paint and likely reduce the Warrior’s paint scoring and second-chance point scoring.
The Grizzlies don’t normally get out-scored in the paint, but Golden State beat them 56-44 in the paint.
Additionally, having rookie Ziaire Williams back in the rotation could give Memphis another consistent three-point threat and a big wingspan to make life a little more difficult for one of the several scoring wings from Golden State. He’s been sidelined the past two games with knee soreness.