When the Grizzlies traded Jay Huff to the Indiana Pacers this summer and replaced him by signing Jock Landale, the expectation was to mimic how their offense would look when Zach Edey returns. While the screen action on offense from Landale has existed, his surge in three-point shooting has been the best on the team.
At 59.1% percent on 2.4 attempts per game, Landale is the Grizzlies' best three-point shooter through nine games played. Three-point shooting has always been a part of his game as he shot 42.3% last season with the Houston Rockets. However, his volume has increased with the Grizzlies as he only attempted 26 threes in 42 games with Houston last season.
He has also made more threes (13) this season than he did all of last season (11). With the struggles of the Grizzlies' perimeter starting backcourt and wing rotation, Landale has unexpectedly become the player they moved on from in Jay Huff.
Can the Grizzlies' perimeter player catch up to Landale?
Jaylen Wells and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are shooting 23.5% and 30.6%, respectively, for a team that badly needs them to make shots. Landale's attempts are mostly wide open because opposing defenses are choosing to apply more pressure on Wells and Caldwell-Pope by design.
Jay Huff was the Grizzlies' best three-point shooting big man last season with a 40.5% clip from three, but he didn't provide much value in other areas, especially rebounding. Landale was expected to offset that weakness as the team began the season without Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke. However, Landale is only averaging 5.0 rebounds, which ranks 4th on the team.
Rebounding is a weakness of the Grizzlies' star big man, Jaren Jackson Jr., but he is one of the three players averaging more than Landale. The Grizzlies' roster is all sorts of confusing right now, with their starting bigs shooting better (Jaren is shooting 38.2% from three) than their starting guards and wings.
That type of weirdness has contributed to the Grizzlies' 25th ranking in three-point percentage and 20th ranking in team rebounds per game. The law of averages will soon enter and balance everything out, especially when players like Ty Jerome, Zach Edey, and Brandon Clarke return to the lineup.
As well as Landale is shooting from three, the Grizzlies need their wings, who were reliable shooters in their past, to begin making their shots, and Landale to apply more pressure on the boards. A 3-6 start displays exactly why their current numbers don't align with a winning formula.