‘EVERYBODY EATS’
Grizzlies have most successful young core since 2012
Last season the Memphis Grizzlies became the youngest team since the 2010-11 Oklahoma City Thunder to make the NBA playoffs. That Thunder team went to the NBA Finals the next season.
The Grizzlies made the regularseason jump. Now, can they translate it to the postseason?
OKC’S run was unprecedented but expected. Its young roster featured James Harden (22), Kevin Durant (23) and Russell Westbrook (23). By the end of the 2011-12 regular season, Harden was the Sixth Man of the Year, while Westbrook and Durant had been to multiple All-star games. They were favored when they lost 4-1 in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat.
Memphis hasn’t garnered the same respect. The Grizzlies (56-26) had the second-best record in the NBA but have the eighth-best odds to win an NBA championship, according to Fanduel.
The roster makeups are different, but each of these young cores went on runs rarely seen in the NBA history. The playoff finish is still undetermined for the Grizzlies, but here is a look at how they compare to the 2011-12 Thunder.
Comparing cores
The Grizzlies entered the season with an average age of 24. Ironically,
the Thunder are the youngest NBA team this season. The 2011-12 Thunder’s average age was 25.5 of players who played in 25 games or more. The previous season, the Thunder’s average age was 23.9 and the Grizzlies were at 24.3.
Along with the Grizzlies having a more surprising rise, the biggest difference is depth and star power. The Thunder had two All-stars and the Sixth Man of the Year. Memphis has one All-star and a bunch of players who star in their roles. Desmond Bane finished 10th in 3
pointers made (228) and second in 3-point percentage, Steven Adams led the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.6), De'anthony Melton averaged the most deflections per game (2.8) for players who came off the bench, and Tyus Jones led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the NBA in blocks like Serge Ibaka did for the 2012 Thunder, but he did so with a bigger offensive role. The Thunder had five players average more than five points per game. The Grizzlies doubled that with 10.
“Our playmaking ability and unselfishness is a huge part of our life force as a team,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “So, the fact that our guys, we don't have to really talk about it a whole lot, we just quickly remind them about another game with 30 assists or the energy of the ball, these guys are actively talking about it. When you see everyone out there sharing the ball, everybody eats.”
Playing styles
The NBA was played at a slower pace 10 seasons ago, but both teams excelled on both ends. With Westbrook, the Thunder had one of the more fearless and explosive point guards in the NBA, just like the Grizzlies with Ja Morant.
The most notable difference is how each team scores. The Grizzlies finished sixth in the NBA in assists per game while the Thunder were 29th.
Passing numbers sometimes don't carry as much value in the postseason because the game slows down and defenses force opponents into more isolation chances. Scoring in those opportunities was a strength for OKC all season, which is how it thrived in the playoffs.
Critics of the Grizzlies have questioned if their offensive method could translate to the postseason. Memphis likes to score in transition, but playoff games often slow down.
“I focus on what I believe is going to be our roadmap to success from the start of the season to the end of the season,” Jenkins said. “Obviously getting a taste of the playoffs last year taught us a lot. I've got the ultimate confidence that if we stick to our game plan – no matter who we're playing, when we're playing – if we can play to our standard consistently, we're going to have a great shot in the playoffs.”
Future implications
The next question will be how the Grizzlies can sustain their success. No matter how this season ends, long-term decisions are ahead for the young core. The Thunder traded Harden the season after their finals appearance, and he went on to become one of the NBA'S elite scorers while OKC never made it back to the finals.
Jackson is inked to a long-term deal, while a Morant extension could come as soon as this summer. Bane's time will be right behind that, but Memphis is in a better position than the Thunder were at this point. An ESPN report indicated that Grizzlies owner Robert Pera would be willing to spend to keep the core together. And if that's the case, this is just the beginning.
Contact Damichael Cole at damichael.cole@ commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @damichaelc