|
Meet the Team: SAS's own Memphis Grizzlies Memphis is my hometown, my favorite city, and the home of Analytics Twitter's Favorite Team, the Memphis Grizzlies. A Brief History The Grizzlies moved to Memphis from Vancouver in 2001, and while the team had some fun players (Pau Gasol, White Chocolate, Stromile Swift), they never found success in the playoffs. That changed in 2011, when the Grit and Grind Grizzlies came together. Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and the inimitable Tony Allen set a culture of hard-nosed defense that the city could take pride in. They made it to the Western Conference Finals once, and were a playoff fixture for almost a decade. This didn't last, however, and with the NBA's move towards pacing and spacing, the writing was on the wall for Grit and Grind. Eventually, the team drafted Jaren Jackson Jr., an analytics darling, and sent Mike Conley to Utah, indicating that a total rebuild was on the way. The Total Rebuild Draft lottery luck bitches we drafted Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke. gently caress a rebuild we just reload '19-'20 Season After drafting Morant and Clarke, the Grizzlies were expected to bottomfeed for a while, being a small market team comprised of mostly rookies and a couple vets. Through the rocket ascension of Morant, the Grizzlies fought their way into the Bubble and even had a chance at the playoffs before being ousted by the veterans on the Portland Trailblazers. The future is bright! Lineup Point Guard: Ja Morant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pjVixfXPFw&t=3s Look at this poo poo! Ja is the Rookie of the Year, and he will be tasked with improving on his already-superb rookie campaign. Ja is a hyper-athletic point guard most infamous for his sick dunks and handles. This isn't his best skill, though, as that honor belongs to his court vision. Ja can thread passes from any point on the court, be it a cutting Brandon Clarke for a dunk or a wide open Grayson Allen for a three. You start watching the Grizzlies for Ja, and you stay watching the Grizzlies for everything else. Shooting Guard: Dillon Brooks The longest tenured Grizzly. Dillon is a mercurial player both hated and loved by the fanbase. When he is on, he is a walking bucket. When he's off, he is a flaming bucket of poo poo. He is also tasked with guarding the opponent's toughest player, which makes his scoring even more erratic. He's a good hand to have, but ideally would be a third option, or a bench scorer. Small Forward: Justise Winslow (eventually) Winslow was acquired from the Miami Heat in a trade that sent Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill to South Beach. He's been hurt, but the hope is that he can provide both defense and playmaking to spell Brooks and Morant from those roles, respectively. Get well soon dude! His starting spot will likely be filled by Kyle "Slo-Mo" Anderson till he's ready to play again. Power Forward: Jaren Jackson Jr. Triple J has a tiny bean head and a big long beanstalk body. At 7 ft tall, he was the Grizzlies most effective two-way player, and was also their best three point shooter. The word "unicorn" gets bandied about a lot, but it's very accurate for Jaren. If he can get his foul numbers down and his rebound numbers up a little, he will be a force for years to come. He loves to play with Ja, but who wouldn't. Center: Jonas Valanciunas Jonas was acquired in a trade that sent franchise mainstay Marc Gasol to Toe Ron Toe (where he won a ring and got shitfaced on a bus, proud of you king). Jonas has endeared himself to Memphis by being a consistent 20/10 threat a night and by doing the dirty work that Zbo and Marc used to do. He rocks and it's easy to understand why both Raptors and Grizzlies fans love him. My favorite t-shirt is my Lithuanian bronze medal tie-dye shirt with the dunking skeleton on it. Bench De'Anthony Melton - resigned to a very team friendly four year deal this past offseason. Nicknamed "Mr. Do Something." Excellent bench player provided he has his security blanket in... Tyus Jones - backup PG. Maybe one of the most efficient backup guards in the league. The Bubble Grizz fell apart without him. Grayson Allen - the quintessential Duke player. Had an amazing run of shooting in the bubble that hopefully will carry over to next season. Looks like Ted Cruz. Universally loathed by SAS, but they're all haters. Brandon Clarke - the efficiency GOD. incredible rim runner, smart passer, has allegedly been working on his handles and shooting (his two major weaknesses). Could transform into a perpetual 6MOTY candidate. A little older, but who the gently caress cares, the man knows how to loving ball out John Konchar - get jitty with it. Numbers love this guy. Gorgui Dieng - Mr. Trebuchet Anthony Tolliver - Anthony Tolliver Who's New? Desmond Bane - a three point sniper and super underrated creator from TCU. (look for him to steal Dillon Brooks' starting spot by the end of the season) Xavier Tillman - a do-everything big from MSU. Fun fact: Jaren was the best man at his wedding! I love it when my favorite team likes each other. Killian Tillie - a Frenchman with weak ankles who can ball out if he can stay healthy. Jontay Porter - Michael Porter Jr.'s brother. Hasn't played professional basketball in two years, but showed flashes of shooting and playmaking during his time at Mizzou. Expectations I'd love it if the Grizzlies made the playoffs this season, but with the West being what it is, they'd all have to show major signs of improvement. My hopes for this season are the same as last season: play hard, get better, and stay healthy. That last one is a major key, because the Grizzlies have all the talent to play against any team, provided all that talent can see the floor.
|
#
¿
Dec 8, 2020 21:44
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 26, 2024 00:53 |
|