The Grizzlies look for long-term gains
It had been a while since I felt that kind of anger bubbling up inside me, the resentment that comes along with the feeling of being slighted.
It was late Sunday night in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League championship game, and Grizzlies rookie Cameron Boozer had just successfully trapped Warriors veteran Yaxel Lendeborg, forcing a turnover. Boozer picked up the loose ball and went up for a layup, giving the Grizzlies the late lead. I carefully set down my probiotic soda and pumped my fist in the air to celebrate.
But alas! Even though Lendeborg didn’t really even have the ball in his hands, apparently someone on the Warriors called a timeout, at least according to the officials. The points were wiped off the board, the Warriors were given the ball back, and they went on to win the game, 94-90.
NBA Summer League is something of a sports anomaly, because while it’s about competition, in the end it’s not really about wins and losses. For NBA teams, summer hoops is about development, about finding prospects who fit your franchise, about uncovering specific skills and abilities.
The players taking part in summer league have been scouted and observed their entire prep and college careers. We know who they are, in a general sense. At this point you’re drilling down, trying to find out if a guy can consistently make a wing three, or if a player can listen in a meeting and execute that instruction on the floor. Are you a player who other players and coaches like to be around for a week or so? That alone might be enough to get you an invite to an NBA training camp, or perhaps even a G League offer.
Which isn’t to overlook what the Grizzlies accomplished this summer: Winning enough games to make it to the Summer League championship shows a level of organizational organization and resolve that should not be overlooked. In the end, it is all the little moments that matter: Boozer fighting for that steal; Javon Small organizing the offense; Cedric Coward knocking down contested threes; Olivier Maxence-Prosper playing lockdown perimeter defense.
The Grizzlies may have lost the battle against the Warriors on Friday night, but it certainly feels as though this summer has produced some tangible long-term gains. The last time the Grizzlies put together a summer like this was in 2019, and the next few years produced some great regular season hoops.
Whether or not this summer results in similar gains remains up in the air. I just know I can’t wait to see how it all plays out.