Grizzlies' 3-point woes show franchise priorities
Imagine for a moment that a company — we'll call it Grizzly Timber — posted a job opening for a lead woodcutter.
Then, after a months-long hiring process, Grizzly Timber decided to hire a lead woodcutter whose goal was take more ax swings per year than any other lead woodcutter in the company's history.
All sides agreed it sounded like a great plan.
But once the work started, there was one problem.
Before timbering season began, Grizzly Timber decided to sell all of its sharpest axes to save money and buy better axes in a few years.
So the lead woodcutter held up his end of the bargain and took more swings than any woodcutter in Grizzly Timber history. There was just no lumber to show for it.
Welcome to the 2019-20 Memphis Grizzlies basketball season.
The Grizzlies are installing a system largely based on "letting it fly" from 3point range with a roster consisting of no high-quality 3-point shooters.
Memphis is attempting nearly twice as many 3-pointers per game (30.2) through six games than it did five seasons ago (15.2) with a shooting a percentage (26.5%) that would blow away a new franchise record for futility if it held up for an entire season.
"We're only going to go up from here," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said after the team made 3-of-25 shots from 3point range in a 107-100 loss to the Rockets on Monday. "We look at the guys' numbers over their careers, guys that have shot over 30%. We've just got to shoot more. That's step one."
Of the 12 players who have attempted 3-pointers for the Grizzlies this season, nine are career 30% or better 3-point shooters. The other three are rookies.
Only two of the nine — Dillon Brooks (35.6%) and Jonas Valanciunas (35.8%) — own career 3-point percentages better than 35%.
It's no surprise, then, that Memphis ranked last in the NBA in 3-point percentage by a wide margin entering Tuesday night's games. Rookie point guard Ja Morant, whose 3-point shooting is not regarded as a strength, is the team's best 3-point shooter so far, hav
ing made 6-of-12 attempts.
The obvious misalignment between playing style and roster construction is a clear indication of where the front office's priorities are this season.
The Grizzlies traded for Kyle Korver this off-season and then traded him again. The 38-year-old sharpshooter has made more career 3-pointers (2,364) than the entire Grizzlies roster (1,491).
They also parted with C.J. Miles (35.9%) and Avery Bradley (36%), both of whom are better career 3-point shooters than any player on the Grizzlies roster.
Any of the three would have helped alleviate the growing pains the Grizzlies are experiencing early this season. If all three had stayed and been willing to play for a rebuilding squad, the Grizzlies might not look like a rebuilding team at all.
That's how well everything else is going.
Memphis is not a good defensive team yet, but the team is buying in to Jenkins' philosophy. The Grizzlies are near the top of the league in pace and have led at some point in the second half of every loss.
What if Morant was driving to the basket and kicking out to someone who could make a shot, instead of passing to Grayson Allen, who is shooting 26.3% from 3-point range this season? Or Marko Guduric, who is shooting 7.1%? Or Jae Crowder, who is shooting 23.1%?
Morant would be averaging close to 10 assists per game, and Memphis might have won the three games it lost by single-digits.
But keeping Bradley, Korver and Miles would have diminished the franchise's future outlook.
Memphis brought in De'anthony Melton and Josh Jackson when it traded Korver to Phoenix. Both are more than 15 years younger than Korver and will get to audition for long-term roles with the Grizzlies this season.
By trading Miles to Washington for Dwight Howard, the Grizzlies saved more than $3 million.
The move also helped them reduce a roster crunch, because they waived Howard.
By waiving Bradley before his contract became fully guaranteed, Memphis saved another $11 million.
That cap space allowed Memphis to absorb the contract of Andre Iguodala in a trade with Golden State. The Grizzlies netted a future first-round draft pick in that deal and could see that return grow if they can trade Iguodala before the February trade deadline.
All were savvy moves by a revamped front-office meant to lay a foundation for the future.
The Grizzlies are betting on the future. For that, fans should be grateful.
It's going to be painful to watch Grizzly Timber swing dull axes this season.
But consider this: Guduric has been in Memphis for nearly six weeks and just got to explore the riverfront for the first time recently.
The 24-year-old, who shot better than 40% in the Euroleague last season, is so focused on acclimating to the NBA game that he's taken little time to explore.
He hasn't even purchased a Playstation to enjoy the NBA rookie ritual of playing as himself on NBA 2K20.
"I'm just spending most of the days down here," Guduric said, gesturing toward the Grizzlies' practice court on Wednesday.
Guduric's daily routine involves making between 200 and 400 3-pointers with the belief — and the backing from Jenkins — that the work will pay off.
"We'll trend upwards," Jenkins said. "I know it's a low number right now. But if we just keep working and working and working on it and just exude confidence, that number is going to go up."
Reach Grizzlies beat writer David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Davidwcobb.