The Memphis Grizzlies are like a throwback to the 1980’s in basketball; they play through two physical bullies in Zach Randolph and Mark Gasol, they minimize the three point shot, and they get back in transition quickly to stop easy points. Jeff Van Gundy of ESPN commented that “they change for no one.” This style earned Memphis 55 regular season wins, and they spent most of the season as the second seed in the West. Memphis is a small yet passionate working class town in the heart of Tennessee. Their arena, Fedex Forum, is nicknamed “the grindhouse,” suggesting that if you go in there you have to work for every point you get. Only the Utah Jazz conceded less points per game than Memphis, suggesting that the nickname of the grindhouse is accurate.
After Memphis took game two in their conference semi-finals series, many began to take notice of the Grizzlies, and some even expected a shock. Memphis “bullied” Golden State according to Steve Kerr, and their efficiency in the post with Gasol was balanced with creativity from Mike Conley and knockdown shooting from Courtney Lee. Memphis became the third team to defeat Golden State in Oakland alongside the Chicago Bulls and the San Antonio Spurs, leaving plenty of reason for optimism. But as Memphis had done in the second half of the season, they fizzled out and struggled for offensive consistency. The Grizzlies didn’t register over 100 points in any game, and the Warriors comfortably defeated them.
The problem was their style, as Memphis averaged less three point shot attempts as a team than Stephen Curry did on his own coming into the series. This lack of floor spacing hurt Memphis in the long run. In the modern game, analytics prove that you need to have good three point shooters to win at a high rate, and Memphis only has Courtney Lee as a consistent wing shooter. A lack of floor spacing meant that Conley had no space to drive in to, and Zach Randolph had no space to work his mid-range jump shot. Kerr halted the Memphis revival with a simple change, putting Andrew Bogut on Tony Allen. This change left Allen open beyond the arc, but he isn’t a talented shooter so the Grizzlies couldn’t take advantage of this. Golden State was essentially forcing Memphis to play a style that they were not comfortable in. Allen is a great defender, but a terrible shooter. His 34% clip from downtown simply won’t cut it in the modern NBA.
Some placed blame on Dave Joerger, but he didn’t even have any shooters to bring on to stretch the floor. They can only play one way, and this is ultimately why they lost to the Warriors, who can play in multiple ways. This seems to be the future of the NBA, having a team that can play small ball and space the floor. The Indiana Pacers, who have been the Eastern representatives of the “grit and grind” style are reportedly going to play small ball next year with Paul George at the 4. This news, reported by Scott Agness on Twitter is a sign that times are changing. Vogel and Bird have realized it, and now Dave Joerger and the Memphis front office must realize it, too.
Sticking by their style is admirable, but it’s not going to win them anything. The most striking stat of the offseason was that the 4 teams in the Conference Finals all had taken the most three point shots in the regular season. This is not a coincidence, as the game is evolving and it is leaving Memphis behind. They must move one of their twin towers and bring in either a stretch 4 or move Jeff Green to the 4. They will no doubt lose defensive efficiency by doing this, but their offense isn’t flexible enough to sustain championship winning form because it is so one dimensional.
Marc Gasol is out of contract this summer, and they must pray he stays with them as he is the best center in the NBA alongside DeMarcus Cousins; however, it is probable that he will move on. If he does indeed leave Memphis, they will need to change their style. The Grizzlies need to draft a shooting wing and pick up some knockdown shooters in free agency. The era of playing with two post players is all but over; Memphis must adapt or risk being left in the past.
