MEMPHIS – When this process officially began in training camp, the Grizzlies’ focus was always mindset over metrics.
Remain deliberate in the approach, and the data would sort itself out.
Along the way, there have been ups and downs amid the Grizzlies’ commitment to play at a faster pace and create easier scoring opportunities in transition and halfcourt sets. From the outset, coach Taylor Jenkins vowed to quantify preseason progress on the “three Ps” – pace, principles and possessions.
As the Grizzlies face their final exhibition test against the Heat at FedExForum on Friday, the early results have been encouraging and right on track.
“There are more things we’ve been tracking to see how we emphasize when we switch from defense to offense more than we have in the past,” Jenkins said of shifting into a faster gear in transition. “Pace is definitely a numerical thing. You can definitely put a clock on it. But it’s really a mentality for us that we’ve been practicing. Hopefully, it carries over into games.”
So far, the Grizzlies are executing to expectations. Through four preseason games, Memphis leads the NBA during the exhibition season in assists percentage, ranks second in possessions per game, stands fourth in overall pace and is 10th in true shooting percentage.
Those advanced metrics reveal how well the Grizzlies are sharing the basketball on scoring opportunities, how quickly they’re getting into ideal position in transition and the quality of shots they are generating in the process.
In essence, those numbers reflect an early combination of effort, efficiency and execution. Those are benchmarks as the Grizzlies install a system intended to restore themselves among the league’s most lethal teams.
The challenge throughout the preseason has been instilling schemes without the full star power in place. Memphis is taking a measured approach with the initial results because the team has been without point guard catalyst Ja Morant the past three games and has missed power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. in all four exhibitions.
The Grizzlies have been cautious with both All-Stars since Jackson tweaked a hamstring on the first day of training camp and Morant suffered a slight ankle sprain in the preseason opener. Morant and Jackson have practiced this week, and although Jackson will sit out again Friday Jenkins said after Thursday’s practice that Morant and Marcus Smart (knee) are probable to play in the exhibition finale.
After facing the Heat, the Grizzlies open the regular season with a two-game trip to play the Jazz on Wednesday and Rockets on Oct. 25 before their Oct. 26 home opener against the Magic. Jenkins has maintained that Morant and Jackson would be ready for the season opener at Utah.
Meanwhile, setting the pace standards remain a work in promising progress.
The goal is to generate defensive stops and convert those into early offense, pushing the tempo to create an open look at the 3-point line within three seconds in transition. If an initial shot isn’t available, the secondary option is to get into sets predicated on maximum spacing and off-ball movement from all four players who don’t possess the ball.
The halfcourt sets unfold in an egalitarian system where any of the five players on the court can facilitate the shifting and rotating motions within the scheme to leverage mismatches.
Jenkins and his revamped staff of assistants repeatedly remind players that open-court transition pace is predicated on physical athleticism and speed. However, execution in the halfcourt stage of the scheme requires mental dexterity and quickness.
“I think we’re starting to settle in a bit to the way the offense works,” guard Desmond Bane said. “We’re still adding new wrinkles as well, and that’s going to help us create more advantages so we just won’t have to rely on our pace. But it’s been good, for sure.”
In their three preseason victories, the Grizzlies have averaged 121.6 points and 32.6 assists per game. They had at least four and as many as seven players score in double figures in those exhibitions against the Mavericks, Bulls and Pacers.
The preseason outlier was a sluggish home performance last Thursday against the Hornets that resulted in a 119-94 loss. Jenkins attributed that setback to his players having tired legs coming off conditioning in training camp and travel from the preseason opener.
“We’re training a lot differently than we have in the past,” Jenkins said. “It’s still something we’re trying to get accustomed to. We’re finding spurts. Can we do it for 48 minutes? We’re not going to do it every single possession, but as long as we’re maintaining pace in the halfcourt, it’s going to improve our offense. Overall, if we can get stops and run, we’re at our best. Even when teams score on us, we can’t let that impact our ability to get to the offensive side with urgency.”
Adapting to the physical demands of the new pace has required an altered approach both on and off the court. Several players have added new training regimens, hired personal chefs or made sacrifices in other personal areas to rededicate themselves this season.
“Basketball is the priority,” Bane assured. “There have been times when we’d come in and focus on our body, but basketball kind of took a backseat. So, we’ve kind of re-shifted and everything is about hoops now. You still find time to take care of your body, but we’re working and we’re getting better every day.”
One main indicator of just how much the Grizzlies have adapted and improved over the course of the preseason has been the comfort level of rookie center Zach Edey.
The 7-foot-4 lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of his preseason debut Oct. 7 against Dallas. Since then, his production and impact have increased over each quarter and in every game.
Against the Bulls and former All-Star center Nikola Vucevic, Edey was effective in all areas to contribute 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 22 minutes. Two nights later against the Pacers and All-Star center Myles Turner, Edey dominated with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting, with nine rebounds in 19 minutes.
Edey credits offseason training and recent practice sessions on units with Morant and Bane for helping him to lose 15 pounds since he left Purdue as a two-time NCAA national player of the year. The Grizzlies have also prioritized touches for Edey as a change-up to the high-pace tempo.
They’ve mixed it up masterfully over the last two exhibition tests, with one more to go.
“When you see how it transitions to the game, it makes you want to work at it even more, it makes you trust it more and keep going,” Edey said of his adjustment process. “I lost 15 pounds, just naturally trying to keep pace with Ja and Des. And my body has kind of transformed. I can still get better conditioning-wise, but the pace that we play at is so good for our whole team. And it opens stuff up for me, too.”
The initial metrics show Memphis is setting a new pace for the season.
But it’s their early mindset that reveals how well the Grizzlies are hitting a collective stride.