Is forward Anderson the most intriguing Grizzly?
Memphis (2-1) vs. South Alabama (1-2) WMC-TV/ESPN 3
WHAT: WHERE: Memphis, Tenn. WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m. TV:
With training camp less than a week away, Kyle Anderson is the most intriguing Grizzly. Anderson was part of the group officially introduced at FedExForum earlier this week, joining Shelvin Mack, Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi. But it was Anderson who raised the most interest, fielded the most questions, and will be one of the key points of attention as the season approaches.
Why is that? Part of it has to do with what Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto wrote about earlier in the week — that Anderson's the highest-profile Grizzlies free agent since Chandler Parsons and signed a longterm deal in a summer where few outside free agents did. The Grizzlies are committed to him through four full seasons and a total of $37 million, with a 15 percent trade kicker added to make the Memphis' final non-conference home game will be Saturday against South Alabama at 7 p.m. at the Liberty Bowl Memphis (2-1) was listed as a 31-point favorite according to Vegas Insider. It will be the Tigers' second consecutive game against a Sun Belt team Fans should also prepare for colder weather and rain. The forecast calls for a high of 74 degrees and a low of 67 degrees. Here's five things to watch:
Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen set an attendance goal last month of 45,000 fans per game for the Tigers’ football team this year. I subsequently wrote a column suggesting this fan base should be capable of reaching that mark given the success of the program in recent years, even if I didn’t think they ultimately would.
The prevailing response from fans went like this: Not with that schedule.
Not when there are no Power 5 conference teams coming to Memphis this 12 214 16.3 3
The Tigers have thrived on home cooking this year, having scored 66 and 59 points in their wins.
South Alabama is 117th in the country in points allowed per game (38.7) and gave up 55 in its lone road test at Oklahoma State.
It adds up to a recipe where Memphis should light up the scoreboard before returning to AAC play. But the Tigers need to keep an eye on South Alabama's Jalen Thompson, who had two
Att. Yds. Avg. TDs 9 14 76 8.4 1 236 16.6 2
year. Not when the best home non-conference games were last week’s blowout win over Georgia State and Saturday night’s tilt with South Alabama.
Here’s the reality: Unless the Tigers play poorly, there’s a good chance Memphis football fans won’t see a competitive game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium until UCF arrives on Oct. 13.
Here’s what the goal should be: One marquee non-conference game at the Liberty Bowl every year.
Here’s the truth: When you’ve won 39 games since 2014, convincing teams to play in Memphis becomes a lot more complicated.
Just ask Bowen.
deal harder for his previous team, the San Antonio Spurs, to match. His age — just 24 — and defensive ability played a part, as did his experience with the Spurs.
“Kyle really fit the bill from our first priority standpoint, which was to not just get a guy that could defend and had all the attributes, but to get what I call a young vet,” Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace said. “Someone who’s had some success but still had plenty of years and runway in front of him.”
The team has admired Anderson for awhile, almost drafting him with their 22nd pick in the 2014 before choosing his UCLA teammate Jordan Adams instead. Anderson's comfort level, though, seems to be linked to playing a primary ball-handling role — not a point guard, obviously, but more of a point forward. He can defend both wing spots and the power forward position, but on offense, he prefers to be at the center of the action.
“Looking back, that’s just where I’ve had my best years, with the ball in my hands," Anderson said. "Let’s be honest, playing off the ball maybe isn’t one of my strong points. Some guys are really good at it in this league, but with the ball in my hands, I’m a little bit better.”
That's the other source of intrigue surrounding the Grizzlies and Anderson. How will the team use him? Having made such a large financial commitment to him, and knowing his preferences, will they go into the season with Anderson as their primary ballhandler?
There's a strong case to be made that they should. The year Anderson was drafted by San Antonio, Anderson averaged 6.5 assists while essentially playing full-time point guard at UCLA. That was good enough for sixth in the nation and first among all power conference players. The Bruins went 27-5 in games when Anderson had five or more assists, but just 1-3 when he had fewer than five.
Grizzlies Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Hollinger discussed his ballhandling and playmaking prospects earlier this summer: "Yeah, that's definitely part of the value proposition with Kyle. This is a guy who basically played point guard for his college team, and has shown a real ability to do stuff on the ball. I think especially if you're able to put four shooters around him, which we can, his slashing ability and decision-making ability becomes a real weapon at that point, and we're hoping to take advantage of that."
Because of minutes limitations and because he was still learning, Anderson didn't play a lot of point with the Spurs through his first three seasons. Last year, he did so more often, and it typically worked well. In his time there, the Spurs were 14-2 when Anderson recorded five or more assists.
Of course, the Grizzlies still have a rather prominent, and rather prominently well-paid, point guard in Mike Conley. They have several others — Jevon Carter, Andrew Harrison, Mack — in reserve. With those players involved, can the Grizzlies give Anderson the keys to the team?
A lineup of Conley and a to-be-determined (second?) shooting guard, along with Marc Gasol and Jaren Jackson Jr. surrounding Anderson as the point forward would seem to be the most shooting-capable group the Grizzlies could put on the floor. Is that the one we'll see? If they don't want to try that full-time, can the Grizzlies coax more off-ball comfort out of Anderson?