The Memphis Grizzlies may only be 3-10 and are currently the 13 seed in the highly competitive Western Conference standings, but Sunday's bout against the title favorite Boston Celtics showed that hope should by no means be lost on this ball club.
Though they ultimately wound up losing the affair, considering they have been without superstar Ja Morant (suspension) along with a bevy of other key players as a result of injury and were playing a fully intact C's team, in a way, falling by a final score of 102-100 is an encouraging sight to see.
On the night, many players stepped up their level of play for the occasion, with Santi Aldama receiving the overwhelming bulk of praise for his 28-point, 12-rebound effort.
However, heading into their upcoming matchup against the Houston Rockets, it's sophomore guard Vince Williams Jr. who has been the subject of ample praise for his latest showing, with the folks at Grind City Media hyping up his potential as a 3-and-D contributor and analyst Michael Wallace going as far as to compare him to a beloved Grizzlies legend.
Grizzlies guard Vince Williams draws lofty comparison to Tony Allen
"Vince is going to emerge because he's going to give you the effort. I look at him and you look at the way he kind of goes out there defensively, he has the long gangly arms, he has a lot of Tony Allen in terms of his tenacity and his mentality. And he can shoot the long-ball and give you some relief baskets on the perimeter as well too. He does not fear any matchup in this league and that's something he brought into the game with him when he got to the NBA level. He was a great defender in college at [Virginia Commonwealth University]. He's transitioned all of those skills and all of that competitive drive to what you're seeing from the Grizzlies."Michael Wallace on Vince Williams
OK @Vincentwiliams OK 😳 pic.twitter.com/kxOSxI2gzk
— Bally Sports: Grizzlies (@GrizzOnBally) November 20, 2023
Wallace would go on to predict that considering the slew of absences the Grizzlies backcourt has seen, particularly Luke Kennard's recent knee ailment, along with the heavy usage and minutes Desmond Bane has been tasked with taking on as a result of said absences, Williams will be looked toward as a player who can provide "some relief," which, to him, is something to "look forward to."
The 23-year-old comes into Wednesday's contest fresh off a 6-point, 2-block performance in 16 minutes all while shooting 66.7. percent from distance and registered the game's second-highest plus-minus rating of +8.
The last time he secured double-digit minutes he also produced admirably on both ends of the floor, registering 12 points, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal while shooting 40 percent from the floor.
With how limited coach Jenkins' rotation has become, one should expect to see him seeing a similar amount of action against Houston.
Hopefully, this high-level of play will once again follow along with it.