No need to panic
Buoyed by bench, Grizzlies are 16-2 without Ja Morant Damichael Cole
There's no fancy nickname for the Memphis Grizzlies' bench. It's just a bunch of players filling whatever role is required that day.
Sometimes they become starters, and at least one of them is in the closing lineup every game. With Ja Morant being reevaluated in two weeks due to right knee soreness, it'd be easy to start sounding alarms.
Not in Memphis.
The Grizzlies (51-23) are 16-2 without Morant this season and have emerged as a No. 2 seed with Dillon Brooks out for two months. How? The answer lies within a bench unit that won't be overlooked for much longer.
“Guys on our bench could start on maybe 15, 16, 17 NBA teams,” forward Kyle Anderson said. “It's not like we have an attitude coming off the bench or anything. We're all bought into winning.”
The Grizzlies entered Friday sixth in the NBA in bench scoring (38.1 ppg). That's good, but scoring isn't what makes this bench unit special. Trust, defense and versatility play more prominent roles.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins uses his bench often, evident by its Nbaleading 98.5 minutes per game. Only four other NBA teams average more than 95. The second unit leads the NBA in steals (4.6), blocks (2.5), assists (9.8) and rebounds (20.7).
The Grizzlies have become known for playing at a frantic pace on offense while creating havoc on defense. The transition dominance correlates more with the starters, but it's the second unit that often locks down opposing offenses.
“They talk about what they got to do going out there every single night to set a tone offensively, defensively, but with their spirit,” Jenkins said. “It's not just on the floor, it's off the floor.”
Tyus Jones is one of the NBA'S best backup point guards, in his own league when it comes to taking care of the basketball. Jones has led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio the past four seasons. He averages 6.6 assists per turnovers this season. The next closest player is at 5.2.
Anderson and De'anthony Melton both have some of the most active hands in the NBA. Melton's 2.9 deflections per game are eighth in the NBA among players who have played 40 or more games. Anderson has 18 games with multiple steals, including a season-high six on March 3 against the Boston Celtics.
And then there's Brandon Clarke, who is having his most efficient season, despite averaging a career-low 19.4 minutes. Clarke leads the bench with 10.3 points per game. Melton is right on his heels at 10.2 points. Clarke closes games over Steven Adams, which puts him with Jaren Jackson Jr. and makes the Grizzlies' defense even more versatile. His ability to switch one through five while also punishing mismatches with his paint dominance.
That's not to mention John Konchar and Ziaire Williams, who have both won games for Memphis this season.
“We've got an entire rotation and it's hard decisions that I have to make but these guys coming in and continue to play the trend of really good Grizzlies basketball that hopefully leads to winning is awesome to say,” Jenkins said.
Shot creation is one of the biggest weaknesses. Jones, Melton, Anderson and Clarke aren't players who are dominant isolation scorers like some of the NBA'S top Sixth Man of the Year candidates, but the Grizzlies offset that with steady ball movement that puts players in position to get easy spot-up shots or drives to the basket.
The Grizzlies' dominance without Morant isn't as simple as Jones stepping into the lineup or Jackson and Desmond Bane increasing their scoring. The answer is depth.
Contact Damichael Cole at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com