The Grizzlies’ 2023 Draft: What do they need, and who can fill those roles?

Group D- Best Playmaker Picks Due to Grizzlies’ Stagnant Half-Court Offense

Per Cleaning the Glass, the Grizzlies ranked 22nd this most recent season, 22nd in 2022, and 26th in 2021 in half-court points-per-play. They’ve also ranked second, first, and first for percentage of halfcourt plays in those seasons respectively. Memphis has a half-court problem. The offense is a machine that runs on fastbreaks and vibes.

My theory is that a really solid-playmaking prospect that isn’t a defensive sieve who can also create at least a tiny bit of his own offense could ease some of those half-court woes. I’ve got to take one of my favorite players in the draft this year here, another one of Cronin’s cronies, Jaime Jaquez Jr. He’s a fantastic table-setter who has a high motor and a good-enough handle and shot to serve as a contributor right away for Memphis.

Jaquez Jr. has nice fundamentals, a good-to-great handle, and good enough size for some creative usages. He’s a pace-and-table setter, with enough playmaking tools that could push him into the rotation relatively early on. The big discussion around Jaquez Jr. is if his offensive skills will translate to the NBA.

He’s more of a technician than an athlete, with spin moves and great footwork, so detractors might say that the offense just won’t travel to the higher competition and that the defensive headiness could all for naught in a tougher league, but if the Grizzlies can use that 56th or even 45th pick on a flyer for Jaquez Jr., I firmly believe that he’s smart enough and works hard enough to get over some of those athletic questions. Also, to end, just watch this man: