Green let Bickerstaff 'off the hook' in key way
JaMychal Green started 131 of his last 134 games for the Memphis Grizzlies, when through no fault of his own, an interruption came.
His response to it is encapsulating the team-first narrative surrounding a Grizzlies team surprising the NBA with its successful, contrarian style.
Green took a blow to the face that broke his jaw while trying to block a dunk attempt by Hawks forward Alex Poythress in the Grizzlies' second game of the season.
Fourth overall draft pick Jaren Jackson Jr. replaced Green in the starting lineup, and a knot formed in J.B. Bickerstaff's stomach.
As Green battled through a painful injury and the dietary restrictions it forced, Jackson emerged as a unique weapon on both ends of the floor.
Two nights before Green's return against Minnesota on Nov. 18, Jackson scored 27 points. Bickerstaff faced a dilemma. Deny a productive, fifth-year Grizzlies journeyman a return to the starting job that a broken jaw interrupted, or pull the potential future of the franchise from the starting lineup?
Outside opinion and modern NBA thinking trended toward leaving Jackson
in the starting lineup to develop and form cohesion with franchise staples Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.
But a particular conviction nagged at Bickerstaff.
"You don't, in my personal opinion, give up a starting spot because of injury," Bickerstaff said. "I don't believe that's always the right thing to do. So I was torn."
As the Grizzlies, who were 11-5 at the time, prepared to play at San Antonio three days after Green's return, Bickerstaff decided to address the issue with his 28-year-old power forward.
He pulled Green aside before shootaround at the AT&T Center for a heart-toheart.
"I had the conversation with him," Bickerstaff said, "and he let me off the hook. He said, ‘I’m watching what’s going on, and as long as I’m a part of it, as long as I get to contribute, I’ll do whatever the team needs.’ That just says a hell of a lot about him and the type of person he is. That’s special and that’s unique.”
Green scored 12 points off the bench in 19 minutes during a 104-103 Grizzlies victory against the Spurs that night. The performance was emblematic of Green's productivity in the new bench role he has embraced over the last three weeks.
“When I was hurt, I sat down and watched the team play," Green said. "I watched twelve games, and we were doing well. I didn’t want to come back in and mess that up. I just wanted to come in and help make the team better.”
With Jackson entrenched in the starting lineup, the Grizzlies are in the midst of the fourth-longest streak with the same starting five since the franchise moved to Memphis in 2001.
Green's willingness to accept a new role, and his productivity in it, have smoothed any potential locker-room tension over the decision that wore on Bickerstaff.
“He’s an example to what we stand for," Marc Gasol said. "His willingness to sacrifice that for the great of the team. Sometimes this job is not fair. I don’t think he lost his job. You never know what can happen. To come off the bench now that he’s healthy, it’s not easy but he’s handled it like a pro. He’s helping us win games. There’s nothing more you can ask from a guy.”
Entering Friday night's game against the Lakers, Green, who is in the final year of his contract with Memphis, was averaging 12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 24.5 minutes per game in the 10 games since his return.
As a starter the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, Green averaged 27.3 and 28 minutes per game, respectively.
But Green's scoring average is up this season over those two years as the team looks to him as a primary offensive option off the bench in a new role he never hesitated to begin.
“It wasn’t hard at all," Green said. "Me and coach had a talk and he said I was still going to get my minutes. "So I was cool with that.” Reach Grizzlies beat writer David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter at @DavidWCobb.