The NBA has come a long way since the Grit-and-Grind Memphis Grizzlies were last a real threat in the Western Conference.
Back in 2014-15, the last season the Grizzlies made it past the first round of the playoffs, current stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Karl-Anthony Towns had either just begun their professional journey, or hadn’t been drafted at all. Steph Curry had just won his first MVP. Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan, and Carmelo Anthony were still fully-fledged All-Stars, and so on and so forth.
Back then, Memphis battered teams to death with a slow pace. They didn’t finish in the top half of the league in pace once in the golden Grit-and-Grind years that stretched between the 2010-11 campaign and the 2014-15 season. Accompanying their snail’s pace was the past era’s defensive brilliance. In the aforementioned time frame, the Grizzlies finished in the top 10 in defensive rating in each season, per Basketball Reference.
In the years since, where the Grizzlies have failed to win 45 games or progress past the first round of the western conference playoff race, the dirty, staunch team we grew to love seemed to dissipate. Instead of the constant success, they endured multiple coach firings and a 2017-18 season that yielded just 22 wins. With the NBA changing toward a fast-paced, offensive firefight, nobody would have been surprised if the Grizzlies of old never returned to prominence. Yet here we are, at the quarter pole of the 2018-19 season, and the Grit-and-Grind Grizz are back in full swing, with a little bit of added pizzazz.
After their exciting double-overtime win against the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis currently sit fifth in the west with a 13-8 record. In an on-brand fashion, they still rank dead last in pace. That grinding play has resulted in them joining the Phoenix Suns (who are just plain bad at scoring) as the two squads in the Western Conference averaging under 105 points per game.
A healthy model of Mike Conley, an expert at controlling the pace, and Marc Gasol, who is currently enjoying a career revival that seemed unattainable last season, is commanding the paint like it was 2014 again. Instead of constantly running the floor and trying to bend defenses on the fast break like other teams, they use Gasol as a flagpole on the block and the elbow.
The 33-year-old is averaging the fifth most post-ups league wide, and the second most elbow touches. He is shooting a mediocre 39.1 percent on the post up opportunities, but he has been a force to be reckoned with when he is allowed to do work from the corners of the free throw line.
According to NBA Stats, of the 7.6 times per night he touches the ball on the elbow, Gasol is nailing a blistering 53.7 percent of the ensuing field goals:
Inside his ginormous 7-foot-1 frame, the three-time All-Star hides a full bag of scoring tricks. He must be guarded closely as soon as he catches the ball because his high shot release creates a silky smooth jump shot that can bury teams on its own when given the chance. If opponents cross the fine line of over-defending him, he will pull out an assortment of hook shots, up-and-unders, and floaters that render him virtually unguardable when he gets a step on his defender.
Memphis have also returned to their defensive ways too. They currently rank 5th in team defensive rating, and have forced teams to play a half-court game consistently, often throwing the opposition out of rhythm. With Gasol and Conley at the helm, the Grizzlies force teams to play at their pace. When most teams are used to playing upbeat, rapid style of play every night, entering a slugfest against Memphis has become a battle they aren’t used to fighting.
However, it’s not just all paint points and defense like it once was in the most successful stages of the grit-and-grind eon. Now, they have a bunch of 3-point shooters, too. They still 26th in attempts due to their slow pace, but their 3-point rate is up to 20th overall. It’s still not an elite mark not matter which way you slice it, but their increased willingness makes them a much more dangerous team. Especially when they are hitting those long-range attempts at the sixth best clip in the league.
There are currently five players on the Grizzlies roster shooting over 39 percent from deep: Gasol, Omri Casspi, Shelvin Mack, JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple. They also have exciting young rookie Jaren Jackson Jr., whose nailing a scorching 54.2 percent of his 2.4 3-point attempts over the last 10 games:
Jackson Jr. has a strange looking form, but he is starting to show the elite shooting potential that helped him rise to the fourth overall pick in the draft. His quick trigger and willingness to fire up triples even in the biggest moments of the game are a refreshing change for a fan base who have become so accustomed to having big men who live in the paint.
With “JJJ” thriving as a budding shooter and an exceptional young defender, he is the living embodiment of the newest era in the Grit-and-Grind Grizzlies story.
With Memphis now sprinkling in exceptional shooting into their ground-and-pound play, we really shouldn’t be surprised at how hot they have started the season. They might not have the juice to truly compete in the playoffs like they did a couple of years ago, especially in a Western Conference that is legitimately 14 teams deep with playoff contenders. Nonetheless, they are a team that is no longer a walkover.
In fact, their revived and revamped Grit-and-Grind play style is undoubtedly striking fear into any team that lines up against them. Stepping into a game against the Memphis Grizzlies is like strolling on to a battlefield, and there is never going to be an easy moment. For the traditional hoop heads, it is truly a joy to watch.
