The Memphis Grizzlies front office is very fond of their star backcourt and their distinctive skill sets. Their talent and compatibility have never been in question. For Grizzlies’ guards Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, the difference this time as to years past has been a sophisticated less is more mentality. The Grizzlies’ head coach Taylor Jenkins has maximized the most out of his franchise backcourt duo this season. Morant and Bane have made major contributions in other areas on the floor despite their individual statistics and star agendas not being primarily prioritized as opposed to other star duos. That level of selflessness has oozed its way onto the basketball floor and paid infinite dividends.
Grizzlies Star Backcourt’s Remarkable Sacrifices Building Cohesion
The Grizzlies are currently 17-8, good for second in the Western Conference. They feature 11 players who average at least 18.5 minutes per game. It’s rare to find that type of equipped ammo on a team. In this new top-heavy super team era, focusing on building within through the draft and developmental farm rather than with the checkbook has become rather unconventional.
Grizzly Floor Raisers
Ja Morant has only two 30-point games to his name this season. Desmond Bane is attempting his second-fewest shots per game in his entire career. The Grizzlies’ all-around dual threat backcourt has worn different leadership hats for Taylor Jenkins all season. Both guards are the premier orchestrators of the offense. High-powered pick and rolls and dribble handoffs make their half court almost impossible for opponents to stay disciplined throughout the game. Morant’s generational rim aggression brilliance paired with Bane’s shooting prowess makes a perfect pairing. The myriad of valuable plug-and-play role players whose floors are raised exponentially by the gravity of Morant (8.5 assists per game) and Bane (4.1) are growing abruptly.
Backcourt On A Swivel
Morant and Bane are most famously known for their impacts offensively. The Grizzlies have the NBA’s fifth-best offense to go along with their potent league-leading 122.1 points a night. Although the witty Grizzlies backcourt has made a living with endless reels of excruciating slams and thrilling fly-by shots, their efforts defensively have been noteworthy. Bane is only allowing opponents to a 40.5 FG% when matched up on the defensive end. There are only eight guards in the NBA who are playing at least 28 minutes a game and posting a superior defensive rating than Bane.
When the Memphis Grizzlies fell short to the Chicago Bulls 126-123 back on October 28, Taylor Jenkins was quite candid with his thoughts regarding his team’s defensive play post-game.
I [Taylor Jenkins] gotta go back and study a little bit more and dive into conversation with the guys of why we’re not getting what we need in the third quarter, our defense is terrible so we can’t run. That’s what they said in the lockeroom. So, if we’re going to play like we did in the first half, then we gotta get stops. We were getting stops in the first half, held them to 54 points and they scored 72 in the second half so, we can’t run if we’re not getting stops and when we’re trying to still score 123 points, 37 assists we can find a way but it’s really tough when you’re just giving them wide open shots becuase they’re just penetrating beating us one on one with no help rotations.
Since the low loss, the Grizzlies have been the fourth-best defensive unit across the league. Ja Morant has made it a mission to become a more impactful player on that end of the floor. Morant is allowing his matchups to a 43.7 FG% thus far this season. Specifically in the point of attack, Morant has shown a vast, relentless defensive approach.
Still not over this steal from Ja on Dejounte. Flipped hips like an NFC All-Pro defensive back. #Grizzlies pic.twitter.com/8UHdMiFxLQ
— Nass (@nassthepod) December 10, 2024
Leadership Strides
Morant and Bane are both star guards approaching their primes. Jenkins’ ability to get both of his foundation cornerstones to buy into this approach while being carefree about their career desires is one of the more underlying storylines this season. Even with Jenkins’ starting backcourt missing significant stretches in the early going, the selfless, apathetic approach has rubbed off on the rest of the roster. The type of approach that can ignite and unify an organization from top to bottom.
