Memphis Grizzlies Are Quietly Turning into a Truly Scary NBA Title Contender
The Memphis Grizzlies have become defined by idiosyncrasies, but don't conflate an unorthodox operating procedure with an inability to contend for a title.
"It’s the year,” forward Zach Randolph said, according to ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz. "Everybody feels it. We feel it. We’ve been in the Western Conference finals. We’ve been that close."
Entering Wednesday night's clash with the Utah Jazz, Memphis sits three games back of the top-seeded Golden State Warriors with a three-game buffer separating them from the third-place Houston Rockets.
But while Houston and Golden State make their championship bids by peppering opponents with a trendy combination of threes and high-percentage looks, Memphis has done just the opposite.
Spurning analytical convention, Memphis has picked opponents apart by embracing its core competency—high-post dynamism.
With center Marc Gasol operating as the fulcrum of the Grizzlies' attack, Memphis ranks second in elbow touches per game (27.2) behind the geometrically obsessed New York Knicks. That strategy also has Memphis averaging the most close touches (24.2), which are defined as "all touches that originate within 12 feet of the basket, excluding drives," according to SportVU.
That's not how efficient offenses are supposed to work under modern pretenses. But despite evidence that would suggest otherwise, Memphis ranks 10th in offensive efficiency and sixth among Western Conference teams.
"It's necessary for us," Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger said of the team's high-post residency, according to NBA.com's Ian Thomsen. "It really is, because otherwise we're going to end up with a post on each side all of the time, and there's no place to go."
The grit-and-grind moniker that's come to define Memphis' preferred style of play hinges on flawless execution in the half court, which is imperative for a team that generates a shade over 94 possessions per night. Ranked 26th in pace, the Grizzlies have to wring every ounce of productivity from the offense each trip down the floor.
In a scheme that implements the league's most intricate combination of back-cuts, no stride is wasted and every movement is made with purpose. The methodical and deliberate nature of Joerger's system isn't flush with extravagance, and it doesn't need to be.
That notion has been reinforced rather strongly since Jeff Green arrived in a mid-January trade with the Boston Celtics. Memphis is 10-1 with Green, and the offense has been nearly four points better per 100 possessions when he's on the floor.
"Green gives the Grizzlies something they haven’t had since Rudy Gay left town—a big wing who can create," Arnovitz wrote. "In a perfect world, Green will get into the lane a dozen times a game and work his way to the line for more than half a dozen attempts."
While he previously moonlighted as a ball-dominant scorer on a Boston Celtics team starved for reliable perimeter options, Green has accepted a slightly diminished yet effective role with the Grizzlies.
Since Gasol and Mike Conley do the bulk of the ball-handling, Green has started adjusting to life as an off-ball cutter, as the following chart illustrates.
| Boston Celtics | 29.5% | 26.7% | 43.4% |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 26.7% | 16.7% | 55.0% |
As a result, Memphis now has a shiny new wing it can send scampering all over the floor to create mismatches in a frontcourt that was previously restricted to plodding. And with defenses focused on the stud trio of Conley, Gasol and Randolph, Green benefits from a lack of defensive attention.
Take this creative late-game design from Memphis' 106-96 win over the Orlando Magic on Jan. 16, for instance. On the surface, it doesn't look like anything special. The floor is relatively unbalanced, and Green is preparing for a post-up.
However, Randolph glides over gently to free Green for a quick release as he swallows up both defenders with his 260-pound frame, which produces a dagger slam.
Whether it was the intended purpose or not, the play produced a bare bones reverse version of the popularized elevator doors set, which has been implemented to free up three-point shooters who dart between two screens. So instead of two screeners inhibiting the pursuit of a single defender, Memphis actually used Randolph's size to neutralize two defenders.
Considering the Grizzlies are one of three teams ranked among the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency, it's pretty terrifying to see a polished veteran core implementing new wrinkles at this stage in the season.
Memphis has parlayed that balance into 20 wins against teams that are .500 or better—tied with the Atlanta Hawks for No. 1 overall. That includes a 13-4 record against current Western Conference playoff qualifiers, each of whom has lost to the Grizzlies at least once.
That record includes single wins over the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, as well as two triumphs over front-runners like the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers.
The style may not resemble what's become normal in today's Association, but then again, normal is all relative. And it's a refusal to conform that's making Memphis' pursuit of the Larry O'Brien Trophy truly scary.
In a league that's become dominated by copycat approaches, the Grizzlies find themselves roaring toward greatness with an unabashed swagger all their own.
All statistics current through games completed Feb. 3 and courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
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