The Memphis Grizzlies got lucky in their 2022-23 regular season opener against the New York Knicks, winning in overtime despite being up by as many as 19 points in the third quarter.
This first game was all about overcoming adversity and having players step up who have never had to step up before, namely Santi Aldama, David Roddy, and Jake LaRavia. The Grizzlies were unexpectedly without starter Dillon Brooks and rotation player Ziaire Williams. They were also (expectedly) without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Danny Green.
It’s hard to fill holes from two big-time contributors on such short notice, but the Memphis Grizzlies got it done. They have Santi Aldama and his 18 points and 11 rebounds to thank for that. They also got great production from John Konchar and Tyus Jones, two players who have always been a steady hand in recent years.
But let’s dig a little deeper and look at some things that the Grizzlies will need to work on over the course of the next several games in order to have better control over their games and dictate how the flow of the games will be played.
Keep in mind, everything in this deep dive needs to be taken with a grain of salt since this is all based off of one game.
1. Memphis Grizzlies must get better in the half-court or they have to play faster
The Memphis Grizzlies were the best team in transition last year, getting a league-high in possessions and points in that category. There’s a line of demarcation from last season to this season in these two important categories. Perhaps a lot of it can be attributed to not have wing players Ziaire Williams or Dillon Brooks in the first game to help get stops on the wing and push the ball up the court, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on.
2022-23: 20 points on 16 transition possessions
2021-22: 24.8 ppg on 22.3 transition possessions per game
If the Grizzlies aren’t going to be able to push the ball up the court and score in transition, they have to get better with their half-court sets. Things were taking way too long to develop in the frontcourt against the Knicks and spacing was poor at times. Morant still managed to find his spots and slithered his way into the paint for 16 of his 34 total points.
The Grizzlies were taking roughly four seconds longer to get a shot off in the season opener compared to what they usually did in games last season. The longer you get in the shot clock, the greater the chance the team shoots a bad-quality shot. A lot of times in the half court, players were relying too much on Ja Morant to penetrate to create shot opportunities, which becomes easier to defend if a defense elects to play zone. Knicks Head Coach Thom Thibodeau did elect to mix in some matchup zone at various points in the game, which made it harder for the Grizzlies to penetrate and get quality shots.
2022-23 average time of possession: 24.6 seconds
2021-22 average time of possession: 20.7 seconds
2. Get back to putting the ball in the hands of Steven Adams
The Grizzlies need to consider getting the ball into the post to keep opposing defenses a little more honest. They could start with giving big man Steven Adams some touches— not to score but to utilize his high basketball IQ and allow him to pass the ball to teammates that are cutting to the basket or sliding up the three-point line for an easy look.
Despite getting 29 paint touches in the season opener, the Memphis Grizzlies had zero post-ups in the game. They were the only NBA team other than the Oklahoma City Thunder to record zero post-ups in their opening game.
For the sake of comparison, the Grizzlies averaged 4.1 post-ups per game last year and scored an average of 2.7 points on those post-ups.
3. Memphis Grizzlies have to value their possessions
There were several plays in the season opener in which the Grizzlies were way to careless with the ball. It’s all about risk benefit with this young crew. There were more than a few instances in which they threw mistimed alley-oops and it cost them points or Player A cut to the basket when Player B thought they were falling back to the three-point line.
Some of it is timing and playing with new teammates, but it’s something they need to be mindful of especially in close games. The Grizzlies were up big and should know when another team is on a heater not to get too relaxed with their possessions.
The Grizzlies recorded just .249 points per touch in their opener, which was the lowest of any team that won their opening game. Last season, the team averaged .289 points per touch.
4. Memphis Grizzlies free-throw shooting woes continue
Free-throw shooting continues to haunt the Memphis Grizzlies. They connected on just 60.9% of their free-throw attempts in the season opener vs New York— the lowest percentage of any team in the NBA.
Even Tyus Jones, who is a career 81% free-throw shooter, missed two consecutive free throws at the end of the game to put the game on ice. It left the door open for the Knicks to tie the game again at the end of the first overtime period.
In games that are close, you can always look back at the free-throw attempts and see the Grizzlies often leave 10+ points on the board from missed free throws. They aren’t going to shoot 100% from the line, but they’ve got to do better than 60.9%.
5. Taylor Jenkins cannot play Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke at the same time
The final area that needs to be addressed by the Grizzlies is something only Taylor Jenkins control and that’s the lineups he constructs. After the game against the Knicks, it’s evident that Jenkins can not, under any circumstances, put Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke in the game at the same time.
Neither of them can shoot from beyond the arc, which creates a huge spacing problem. All the opposing teams have to do is clog the paint and it’s essentially five-on-three.
Jenkins played Clarke and Adams together for a total of 13.3 minutes, which is insane. When those two guys were on the court together, the Memphis Grizzlies were -13 in plus/minus. Jenkins has to pair LaRavia, Roddy or Aldama with Adams or Clarke. Those three players are three-point threats and can help create much-needed space for Ja Morant to get into the paint and thrive.