The Memphis Grizzlies have been pridefully anchored by Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph for about five seasons. Randolph and Gasol took form an became one of the tantalizing front courts in the league when healthy, but the infamous grit-and-grind model of Grizzlies basketball is being overmatched with faster paced styles with smaller lineups and more outside shooting.
Last season, Randolph saw his minutes drop, and he came off the bench for 15 games. This coming season, head coach David Fizdale plans to make that a more permanent role for Randolph, via ESPN’s Michael Wallace:
Fizdale announces Zach Randolph will come off bench this season full-time. “Let’s not beat around the bush. He can be 6th man of the year.”
— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) October 5, 2016
The starting power forward role will be given to JaMychael Green.
JaMychal Green will start in place of Zach Randolph per Coach Fizdale.
— Alexis Morgan (@alexiskmorgan) October 5, 2016
Randolph is still a capable double-digit scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.3 points and 7.8 rebounds last season. Bringing him off the bench is a painless shake-up experiment. It gives Fizdale a reliable go-to scoring threat from his reserve squad, which can help Memphis in sustaining offense throughout the game. Probably most comforting for Fizdale is Randolph’s willingness to give it a try, so much so that he’ll clearly be pursuing the Sixth Man of the Year honor in his new role.
