Key numbers for Memphis Grizzlies players in 2018
The Grizzlies season will begin in just days, with training camp opening up Sept. 25. Though they face a difficult challenge in the Western Conference, the team's goal is to make the playoffs. To do that, however, individual players must meet individual goals of their own. Reaching those aspirational numbers will give the team a much better chance of reaching its overall goal. Here are a handful of numbers for certain players they'd do well to hit.
Dillon Brooks: 2 assists
As a rookie, Brooks was thrust into a far bigger role than he or anyone else would have expected. As the season unraveled, Brooks became something of an unlikely cornerstone — he was the only player to play in all 82 games. Heck, only he, Marc Gasol and Jarell Martin played more than 70 games. It was that kind of season. Brooks played at a higher-than-expected level and is now poised to be a long-term part of the Grizzlies' rotation. However, he's got to add passing to his repertoire.
Brooks needs to dish out at least two assists per game to avoid clogging up the offense. Last season, Brooks was one of only six wing players who averaged at least 28 minutes per game and created fewer than two assists per game. That's J.R. Smith territory, except that Brooks isn't the shooter or scorer Smith, in all his wackiness, has been. Playing in a lot of makeshift lineups didn't help Brooks, but in order to find his place in a presumably more settled team, he needs to pass.
Jaren Jackson Jr.: 1.5 blocks
To say that hopes about Jackson's potential are high would be an understatement. There is unbridled enthusiasm throughout FedExForum about the possibilities that Jackson has, especially his potential on the defensive end of the floor. Mike Conley Jr. recently described him as potentially a "nightmare" for Grizzlies opponents this season. And remember, he just turned 19 on Sept. 15.
The 1.5 number represents a realistic, but important, mark. If he can block that many shots per game, he'll put himself on a couple of very short lists. First of all, he would become only the fourth Memphis Grizzly to average more than 1.5 blocks per game for a season (the others are Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Stromile Swift). Secondly, he'd join a very exclusive club of rookies who blocked that many shots in their first year — the last five are Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Nerlens Noel and Anthony Davis. Noel aside, that is an elite group. Joining it would be a feather in Jackson's cap and a confirmation that all the hope for his future is grounded in reality.
Andrew Harrison: .362 from 3
Andrew Harrison was a bright spot for the Grizzlies in a bad year, with major offensive improvements from the former Kentucky guard adding to his value as a backup. As a rookie, Harrison shot a pitiful 27.6 percent on 3-pointers. Last year, that jumped to a much more respectable 33 percent. If Harrison can take his 3point shooting percentage to the 36.2 percent mark — which not coincidentally was the leaguewide average last season —
he'll be a more potent weapon off the bench and allow the Grizzlies to use him in more creative lineups.
Chandler Parsons: 1,000 minutes
That number represents the minutes Parsons needs to play this season to begin to approach an impactful role as a rotation player. He's gotten nowhere near it in his first two seasons, but 1,000 minutes is merely 50 games at 20 minutes per game, a goal that even a reasonably healthy Parsons should be able to meet. That would still allow for Parsons to miss two full months of action as long as he can play a rotation-level 20 minutes per game in the remaining contests. And for his teammates to be able to get used to playing with him, that's an important number.