Washington Wizards vs. Memphis Grizzlies: No John Wall, No Problem
Summary
Gilbert Arenas scored 24 points, Kirk Hinrich had 22, and the Washington Wizards beat the Memphis Grizzlies in a see-saw game, 89-86 on Friday night despite shooting just 38 percent.
Playing the third straight game without injured guard John Wall, the backcourt combination of Arenas and Hinrich was able to pull the struggling Wizards to their fourth win in 11 games.
The Grizzlies, who lost for the fifth straight time, were led by Zach Randolph with 19 points and 12 rebounds, who looked like a man among boys in the paint against the Wizards' young frontcourt. Memphis' skid is the longest since early last season, and its four-game winning streak against Washington ended.
Key Points in Game:
- Zach Randolph is a double-double machine, his size and strength enables him to move centers around with ease...well, maybe just JaVale McGee.
- JaVale McGee is looking very soft in the paint, but he works his butt off whenever the ball goes off the rim to catch a rebound, he is almost reminding me of a young Dwight Howard, except the fact that Dwight was more under control.
- In his homecoming back to the DMV area since being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies former Maryland Terp Greivis Vazquez was greeted with a warm reception and standing ovation by some crowd members. The reigning ACC Player of the year fared just a decent netting 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting in 11 minutes.
Washington Wizards' Frontcourt isn't the best but is developing
Standing at 6’11”and 7’0”, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee have been tasked with the duty of playing up to their size. Blatche has a tendency to settle for 15-20 foot jump shots instead of creating himself as the low post threat that the Wizards desperately need. But against Memphis he made an effort to attack the basket. It didn’t produce the numbers that he was looking for in the first half (2-of-8 shooting), but he continued attacking and eventually it paid off. Blatche finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds but more importantly he got to the free throw line 6 times. If he continues to attack the basket he can be a more productive scorer to the team and not look so much as an inconsistency to the team.
JaVale McGee, on the other hand, entered Friday night’s game averaging almost 7 rebounds per game. The problem with McGee is that he’s been inconsistent, one game he’ll give you 3 rebounds the next 12. Head Coach Flip Saunders is looking for McGee to focus his efforts in the rebounding department on a nightly basis. McGee has the physical tools to average 10 rebounds a game but he often relies on those natural gifts instead of fundamentally boxing out his opponent. He ended the first half with 8 points and 7 boards finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the game.
**One thing I did like was that at one point in the game, McGee was isolated at the top of the key and tried to make a move but failed to and committed a turnover. After he was stripped away by Grizzlies' PG Mike Conley, McGee chased him all the way down court for a block that will most certainly make ESPN's Top 10. The sequence just sums up McGee's game to me; low basketball IQ and skill, yet he shows a highlight block on the other end off HIS turnover. Be prepared to see a lot of turnover-block sequences in the future.
Most Importantly
The Washington Wizards showed that they don't need John Wall to play decent basketball, but his penetration and Yi Jianlian's pick & pop situations are truly missed as the Wizards definitely looked lost a lot against the Grizzlies.
The Wizards didn't really have good weapons tonight on offense:
Spot Shooting PG (Hinrich), Great Shooting SG (Arenas), Athletic but Wild SF (Thornton), Trigger Happy PF (Blatche), and a shot blocker with 6th grade post moves (McGee)
...I was exaggerating on the McGee description but you get the point. The Wizards looked sloppy but still pulled out with the win, and with Wall, Yi, and an equal effort from McGee they should bring their record a lot closer past the .500 mark.
