Lost in all the news about Ja Morant's most recent one-game suspension by the Memphis Grizzlies is that the team's struggles in a specific area have been their downfall this season. After losing to the Toronto Raptors to fall below .500 for the first time this season, the team needs to reassess the controllables, which is the three-point line.
Let's start with the defense. The Grizzlies currently rank 26th in opponent three-point percentage, which was actually helped after holding the Raptors to 29.7% from three in their recent game on November 2nd. However, through seven games, the Grizzlies are allowing opponents to shoot 38.5% from three, which is three percentage points higher than the league average.
The team has a plethora of young, talented two-way wings in Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, and the veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, so it feels like it is only a matter of time until they figure it out on that end. The offensive end is a different story, and may have to be addressed at some point this season.
Their three-point offense is a real concern
While the Grizzlies' three-point defense should likely improve with time as their wing rotation continues gelling in their roles, their offense may not be afforded the same opportunity in the near future. The Grizzlies are currently ranked 11th in three-point attempts per game, but are ranked 24th in three-point percentage at 32.7%.
Of their nine players who average at least 3.0 three-point attempts per game, only two players are shooting above 35%. Those players, Cam Spencer and Cedric Coward, are shooting at a great clip of over 40%. However, five players are attempting more threes per game, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has the highest percentage of those players at 34.4%.
Preaching patience could work for some of those players, as Santi Aldama and Jaylen Wells are shooting well below their career averages at this point in the regular season. Also, Ty Jerome is expected to return to the court in the near future to provide a much-needed spark for their shooting in the backcourt.
However, in the interim, the team needs to strategize a more effective way to score points than shooting a high volume of threes. Known effective shooters like Wells, Aldama, and Caldwell-Pope should continue to take shots because their percentages are likely an anomaly, but 15 combined attempts per game between those three players needs to be lessened for more effective shots.
The Grizzlies' three-point shooting was a huge question mark entering this season, after losing their two best shooters from previous seasons, Desmond Bane and Luke Kennard, this offseason. Losing Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. to injury didn't help matters before the season began, but they must find alternate solutions for scoring until their return.