Memphis Grizzlies: Courtney Lee Out With A Concussion
The Memphis Grizzlies are on a roll, starting the 2014-15 NBA season off with a 4-0 record, establishing themselves as a Western Conference power house early on in the fresh campaign. They’ll have to continue their dominance without guard Courtney Lee, who will “be out awhile” with a concussion according to head coach Dave Joerger.
Lee, who was acquired via mid-season trade from the Boston Celtics last season, has established himself as a scoring presence at the 2-guard position, starting for the Grizzlies for much of his tenure with the club.
He provides defense, a must for this Memphis Grizzlies club, and 3-point shooting, another skill that is highly sought after for this post-oriented team. His absence surely will be a hit to the offense, even with the outstanding performance being put on by Marc Gasol and company.
The major issue will rear its head if there are any linger effects from the concussion, or if the problem reoccurs as concussion tend to. Tony Allen has played well, and actually averaged more minutes that Lee, putting together a season that has seen him swipe four steals per contest.
However, Allen lacks the scoring ability that Lee provides, and while he’s an elite defender, cannot replace the 3-point shooting that Courtney Lee is in the starting lineup for.
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With Tayshaun Prince mostly just taking up space at this point in his career, eyes might turn to Vince Carter to shoulder more of the offensive load moving forward for the Memphis Grizzlies on the wing.
He provides good 3-point shooting, much like Courtney Lee, and while he’s not the high flying, electrifying offensive spark that he used to be earlier in his career, has evolved quite nicely as time has progressed, becoming a solid bench scorer in the process.
It’s likely that in order to hedge their bets concerning Courtney Lee going forward, the Memphis Grizzlies will rely on some combination of Tony Allen and Vince Carter, providing an excellent defensive-offensive punch that allows them to play situations accordingly.
Both will need to step up in their areas of weakness, however, in the event that Courtney Lee’s injury is that of the nagging nature, reoccurring, or just one with negative after effects.
Either way, the Memphis Grizzlies are primed to keep rolling with or without their starting shooting guard behind the driving force to their magnificent start: Marc Gasol.
With Gasol taking more of the offensive burden on his shoulders, it’s likely Tony Allen will keep seeing heavy minutes to shut down opposing offensive attacks, and Vince Carter will play a fair amount of minutes with his ability to make teams pay for doubling down on the center.
Zach Randolph and Mike Conley can provide any additional scoring, limiting the impact that Courtney Lee’s injury will have on the offense.
Of course, when he returns to full health, Courtney Lee will be a welcome addition, but his absence is one that the Memphis Grizzlies can overcome. Behind Tony Allen and Vince Carter, with the excellence of Marc Gasol driving the team forward, this squad will be just fine.