Baseline to Baseline: October 23rd
- The Memphis Grizzlies will not die.
This was the year — the Grizzlies were finally going to take a step back. The “Grit and Grind” era had been somewhat disseminated due to the departures of Tony Allen and Zach Randolph. Chandler Parsons was a shell of himself, soaking up over $72 million of cap space over the next three seasons. Sure, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are still there, but they couldn’t possibly shoulder the load with so-so surrounding parts en route to another playoff bid, right?
Wrong. At least for the time being …
Don’t look now, but Memphis is 3–0 with wins over Golden State and Houston. Much like the Spurs, the Grizzlies know how to marginalize their opponent, keep games from getting out of hand, and then strike late with execution and toughness. Gasol is still a joy to watch, and is even uncorking three-point bombs on a whim. Things could dissolve quickly if one of Gasol or Conley sustains an injury, but I hope we get to see them at full strength come April. They could ruffle some feathers.
2. Giannis, galloping through the lane.
I think we all should have taken Giannis’ MVP chances a bit more seriously … He is controlling every facet of the game, getting to the rim at will on one end and protecting it to no end on the other. He plays with this controlled mean streak that is a requisite when a player makes “the leap” and is must-watch television on a night-to-night basis.
Whether you are more impressed with him taking one dribble to get to the rim from half court or executing a euro step from the free-throw line, there is no wrong answer. His graceful explosiveness is jaw-dropping. I’m not sure if the Bucks have enough around him with Jabari Parker out to surpass 50 wins, but his presence obviously gives them more than a fighter’s chance.
3. Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow ignite with a handoff.
Dragic and Winslow will do this weird thing at the start of a possession where Dragic will flick the ball to Winslow as he is sweeping by only to have Winslow tap it right back to him in an instant.
There appears to be no rhyme or reason to the maneuver (couldn’t Dragic have just dribbled to the side?) but I enjoyed the fact that they did it anyway. You can only imagine my excitement when they did it again (in a different variation mind you!) on their next possession.
I’m sure it’s a rhythm thing, or a signal to the other members of the offense that the set is underway, but I would love to ask one of them what the purpose behind it is.
4. Taurean Prince with some wiggle off the dribble.
I loved Prince when he was coming out of the draft in 2016, but even I didn’t peg him as more than an excellent three-and-D type in the mold of a Jae Crowder. Atlanta being bad has given more space for Prince and the other young Hawks to expand their bounds and venture into waters they otherwise would not have.
(The recipient of that last pass, John Collins, is going to be the source of envy of other teams over the next few years. That dude can hoop.) If Prince can handle even secondary ball-handling duties, the ceiling of his game suddenly moves up a few notches.
5. Bradley Beal — WHOOOOOOP!
(That was my best written Chris Berman impression. Sorry.)
The Wizards ran a beautiful set to seal their victory in Denver, using John Wall as a decoy to free up Beal.
They start by putting Wall’s man, Jamal Murray, through a double-screen gauntlet to ignite a switch onto Beal — the matchup Washington desires. Beal sequesters to the wing as if he is going to clear out for Wall (a tactic they often resort to late in the game). Just as he puts Murray to sleep, Beal breaks back towards Mike Scott, who is waiting to stonewall Murray. Beal is freed open, giving him a head start on an indecisive Kenneth Faried who decides to initially help before swiftly retreating back towards Scott.
Now Scott is a capable shooter, but I would infer that Denver would rather take their chances with a jumper there rather than a wide open lane to a steaming Beal. Beautiful play from Scott Brooks.
