Zach Randolph was recently relegated to a bench role on the Memphis Grizzlies. The two-time NBA All-Star is near the end of his career but the Grizzlies and new coach David Fizdale are reluctant to force him aside. Instead, they want to give him a new role as a sixth man off the bench.
With Randolph on the bench, young upstart JaMychal Green is expected to get the start in his place. Randolph has to present something different to a team that ranked in the bottom five of just about every major three-point statistic last season. The Grizz added Chandler Parsons this offseason and he’ll most likely help out the shooting from deep along with rookie Wade Baldwin IV. But Randolph might be taking it upon himself to be a stretch four deep threat.
After Randolph made four out of six three-point attempts in the Grizzles preseason victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, he was asked about his new shot. He compared his adaptability to that of a reptile. No, not a chameleon as you might expect, but instead an iguana.
Following from Phillip Dean from ‘3 Shades of Blue’.
"I'm like an iguana I adapt." – ZBo on shooting more 3-pointers this season.
— Phillip Dean (@PhillipDean1) October 12, 2016
Well. Whatever reptile Randolph is, the Grizzlies could gain a lot from him turning into a bruising stretch four off the bench. He can go inside and do some post work and step out and shoot a three-pointer? That’s supremely valuable and if he can translate that into a successful season, he might find himself in the top running for the sixth man of the year.
