Scoring punch
Guard trying to help Grizzlies finish strong
Memphis Grizzlies guard Wayne Selden defended an inbounds pass in their victory at Minnesota with his team needing clutch play to close out a victory.
Late-game situations have been tough on the Grizzlies this season. But Selden stayed close to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jeff Teague after he feverishly tried to deny the pass. With the ball in play, Teague was supposed to receive the ball on a return pass from his teammate but Selden stepped in for an interception that led to an uncontested dunk in the open court.
Memphis is crawling to the end of its After Monday’s team-high 23 points in the win over the Timberwolves,
of the Grizzlies is averaging 16.4 points per game over the last five contests. Games in which Selden has scored 17 or more since January 1: at Pelicans (Jan. 20) .................................. 31 vs. Suns (Jan. 29) ...................................... 17 at Pacers (Jan. 31) .................................... 24 at Nets (Mar. 19) ........................................ 17 at 76ers (Mar. 21) ...................................... 18 at Hornets (Mar. 22) ................................. 18 at Timberwolves (Mar. 26) ..................... 23 regular season with Selden revving up on both ends of the court. The Grizzlies enter Wednesday game against the Portland Trail Blazers having lost 23 of the past 25 games. Selden, though, is averaging 16.4 points on 50-percent shooting, including 44 percent from three-point range, in his last five outings.
He’s scored at least 16 points in five of the last six games, and finished with a team-high 23 points in the Grizzlies’ win against the Timberwolves.
Credit health for Selden’s renewed confidence and productivity as the dynamic young off guard the Grizzlies envisioned when the season began. He’d been in and out of the lineup all year with a quadricep injury, and knee soreness.
“Being healthy makes a big difference,” Selden said. “I feel good. I want to
finish the season strong.”
The Grizzlies remain optimistic that Selden can emerge as a viable option as a two-way player on the wing with his size and strength on defense, and shooting range offensively.
Selden’s athleticism allows him to defend both guard positions and small forwards. His approach to the end of the regular season impresses veteran center Marc Gasol, who believes the Grizzlies can accomplish many goals even without a playoff berth.
“Build, always build. It’s never too late to build,” Gasol said. “It’s always good to win, it kind of confirms and reassures guys. When you do it together you are much better. We don’t have enough talent in this locker room just to do it one on one. We have to do it as a team, we have to do it every night.
“It takes a lot of freaking effort, but now you can’t be happy. I don’t know how you can be happy with 19 or 20 wins. Now it’s next game, this game is over. It’s how you carry it on for the next home game against the Blazers and how you build on it. I’m not talking about wins and losses. I’m talking about consistency and how you play and how you build something beyond wins and losses.”
The Grizzlies’ roster will change next season but Selden figures to be a part of their future. He’ll work on becoming more of a play-maker but Selden could start at shooting guard next season. If not, he can be a dynamic force off the bench on a team desperately in need of perimeter scoring.
Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Selden bought into the work ethic that requires players to earn playing time.
For his part, Selden wants to leave a positive impression on this season.
“I feel like we have a lot of pride,” Selden said. “Especially after losing a big one (by 61 points last Thursday at Charlotte), we really buckled down. We were losing focus a little bit. We really buckled down and we want to focus on these last games.”