5 Disturbing early season trends the Grizzlies must fix
By Tyler Watts
3. Shooting
Floor spacing is not a new issue in Memphis. They traded for Luke Kennard last season and still finished 23rd in 3-point percentage. Taylor Jenkins’ team took the 11th-most threes per game, so they were middle of the pack in makes, but their efficiency has nosedived without Ja Morant.
Memphis is fifth in 3-pointers made and seventh in attempts, which sounds fantastic, except they are still 23rd in percentage. It has helped sink them to 27th in field goal percentage, 25th in effective field goal, and 27th in true shooting. The Grizzlies are one of the least efficient shooting teams in the league through nine games.
Memphis simply needs to shoot the ball better. They are getting 26.6 wide-open attempts per game as classified by NBA Stats, which is the second-most in the NBA, but have made just 37.2 percent of those shots or the fourth-worse mark. They are primarily 3-pointers and some are as a result of teams leaving their shooters open.
The Memphis Grizzlies will make a few more open looks moving forward but need reinforcements to climb out of their shooting woes. Ja Morant will create more space with his ability to attack, but the franchise needs someone to knock down those looks. Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and Jaren Jackson Jr. should all shoot better from long-range, but the Grizzlies desperately need another 3-and-D wing to round out their rotation.