MEMPHIS – As the Grizzlies address the rebounding and shooting woes that haunted them in the season-opening loss to the Pelicans, a far bigger test looms in efforts to correct those issues.
In hindsight, here are two takeaways from the 111-104 setback to New Orleans and a look-ahead to Friday’s visit from Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Nuggets.
REALITIES ON THE REBOUND
Steven Adams won’t be checking into a game at any point this season. That much is known, as the Grizzlies’ starting center recovers from the right knee surgery that has cost him his season before it ever began this week.
But what Memphis vows to avoid is a drastic drop-off from where it was much of the last two seasons as one of the NBA’s top rebounding, offensive rebounding, paint scoring and second-chance scoring teams. Simply put, life without Adams can’t regularly resemble the level of disparity the Grizzlies faced Wednesday against the Pelicans.
In the season opener, the Grizzlies were outrebounded 52-37 and surrendered 11 offensive boards to the Pelicans, who converted nearly each one for 25 total second-chance points.
Rebounding likely won’t be an elite strength for the Grizzlies as they start the season adjusting to key frontcourt injuries. But they certainly can’t afford for it to be an overwhelming weakness.
“We’ve got to figure that out,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said of his message to the team about an increased level of commitment to work on the boards. “I said, ‘Guys, we know our reality (and) we’ve just got to figure out what it’s going to come down to. It’s the battle on the boards. Right now, it’s definitely kind of a feel-out process.”
Barring any immediate changes to the roster, the Grizzlies must rebound by committee.
Against the Pelicans, reigning league Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. was held scoreless and without a rebound through much of the first half. Replacement starting center Xavier Tillman led the Grizzlies with 12 rebounds along with 17 points. But the other eight players who logged rotation minutes Wednesday combined to snag just 25 boards.
Jenkins refuses to point to small lineups as an excuse. With Adams and power forward Brandon Clarke both likely out for the season, and reserve forward Santi Aldama to miss his second straight game with a sore ankle, the Grizzlies shifted wing players David Roddy and Jake LaRavia to minutes at power forward.
The goal is to collectively produce a more competitive result on the glass. Immediately.
“If you can’t rebound or consistently play defense to make (opponents) miss shots, it’s going to be a long year,” Grizzlies guard Derrick Rose said. “We’ve got to be able to make adjustments on the fly. Good, bad or ugly, we’ve got to make sure body language and all that stays consistent and play as hard as we can.”
SHOTS WILL FALL
Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard was the NBA’s best 3-point shooter over the second half of last season, knocking down nearly 52 percent after he was acquired at the February trade deadline.
The sharpshooter will head into Friday’s game looking to bounce back from an outlier 0-for-5 effort from beyond the arc in the season opener. Kennard’s struggles from deep underscored the team’s overall ineffectiveness on a night when the Grizzlies missed 31 of 43 attempts.
The 3-point issues are a carryover from the preseason, and it’s likely going to take some time for the Grizzlies to find a consistent rhythm. In addition to some lineup tweaks and getting new players such as Rose and Marcus Smart acclimated, Jenkins and the staff are also installing some different schemes in the offensive system.
Overall, the Grizzlies were satisfied with the looks they got from 3-point range – just not the results. It was a feast-or-famine scenario for the Grizzlies from beyond the arc, where Desmond Bane and Rose were a combined 7-for-14 but Kennard and Jackson were a collective 0-for-10.
“We’ll make shots and we’ll miss shots, but staying positive and keeping our swag is Grizzlies basketball,” Bane said. “We didn’t have that for 48 minutes. We’ll watch film and after that, all eyes turn to Denver, which is a great team. We’ll do everything we can to slow them down.”
The turnaround will have to begin Friday without Kennard, who will sit out against the Nuggets while in concussion protocol.
JOKIC DRIVES DENVER’S DOMINANCE
The Nuggets unveiled the franchise’s first championship banner, received their championship rings and placed all five starters in double figures during an impressive debut in Tuesday’s season-opening win over the Lakers.
Jokic arrives in FedExForum coming off 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his 106th regular season career triple-double. His next triple-double will push Jokic into a three-way tie with Jason Kidd and LeBron James for fourth place in NBA history.
Although Jokic has four career triple-doubles against the Grizzlies, none have come in Memphis.