Memphis Grizzlies: Can the Bench Step Up?
The Memphis Grizzlies are off to a fast 7-1 start thanks, in large part, to the performance of their starting five and their stingy defense. Marc Gasol has cooled off a bit offensively after an MVP-level start, but he is still playing very well, averaging 17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
Typical Marc Gasol.
Courtney Lee has been a pleasant surprise with his early 3-point barrage (61.9 percent from 3-point range) and Mike Conley has heated up after a slow start. Down low Zach Randolph is producing at his usual level, with 16.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.
Then, there’s that elite defense. The Grizzlies are ranked first in the league in opponent’s points per game at 89.4, and they are eighth in opponent’s field goal percentage at 43.4. They have been forcing turnovers at a decent rate, helped by Tony Allen’s tremendous perimeter defense and his 2.5 steals per game.
Memphis is forcing 17.1 turnovers per game, which is good enough for fifth-best in the NBA. Things are business as usual for the always strong Grizzlies defense.
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So what could keep them from being contenders in the Western Conference?
One area holding them back, keeping them in close games that they should be winning easily, has been the poor play of their bench. Through the first seven games the bench has been a disaster at times.
The primary bench unit featuring Beno Udrih, Vince Carter, Quincy Pondexter, Jon Leuer, and Kosta Koufos has played a little more than 15 minutes together this season, the third-most used lineup for Memphis.
In those 15 minutes that unit’s plus minus rating per 100 possessions is at -54.3 according to Basketball-Reference.com. That is shockingly bad.
Here is a look at their individual numbers for the season. Other than Udrih, this is pretty troubling.
| Rk | Player | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Beno Udrih | 8 | 17.3 | 3.3 | 6.4 | .510 | .214 | .622 | 1.000 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 7.1 |
| 8 | Quincy Pondexter | 8 | 16.6 | 0.9 | 3.9 | .226 | .200 | .273 | .750 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 3.4 |
| 9 | Vince Carter | 7 | 15.4 | 2.3 | 6.1 | .372 | .318 | .429 | .667 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 6.1 |
| 10 | Kosta Koufos | 8 | 14.8 | 1.1 | 2.6 | .429 | .429 | .750 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.0 | |
| 11 | Jon Leuer | 8 | 11.5 | 0.9 | 3.4 | .259 | .000 | .269 | 1.000 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 2.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/12/2014.
However, their last game against the Lakers provided some reason for optimism.
Wednesday night, against the Lakers, the bench broke out of their season-long slump. On a night where Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph struggled to find their shot, Beno Udrih, and, Kosta Koufos, stepped up.
Carter and Leuer also provided quality minutes but the performances of Udrih and Koufos were particularly important.
Udrih dropped 16 points, while Koufos had 14 points on a combined 13-of-16 from the field. Koufos had by far his best game of the season, hitting all five of his shots and also grabbing three rebounds.
Udrih sliced through the lackluster Lakers perimeter defense, getting most of his points in the paint.
Perhaps the most positive sign was the play of Vince Carter. Carter was signed this offseason to provide a veteran presence and a scoring threat off the bench. So far the latter has been absent from his game.
Carter has been nagged by lingering injuries to begin the season and had been a shell of his former self until Wednesday. Against the Lakers, Carter had six points on a 3-pointer, a fade-away midrange jumper, and a foul shot.
Carter also created plays for his teammates. He finished the day with three assists and grabbed two rebounds as well. The production may not seem impressive, but the way he looked on the court certainly was. He was moving with much more fluidity and looked more confident with his shot.
His 3-point percentage has crept up slightly after a slow start, but it is still at 31.8 percent when Carter normally is just above league average. A healthy, productive Vince Carter that is making three point shots will go a long way towards sustaining solid bench production.
Memphis has some weaknesses scoring the ball, and they cannot afford to dig large holes when they have to rest their starters. Udrih and Koufos will not likely play up to the level they did Tuesday night on a regular basis, but they have to be more consistent.
As Carter continues to get healthy this three-man combination should build chemistry and have fewer games where the second unit becomes a complete disaster.
Was the performance Tuesday night a sign of growth or just a Lakers induced mirage? Time will tell.
If the bench and starting units both put forth consistent efforts on a nightly basis, Memphis will find themselves winning easily rather than grinding out one-possession wins. The moment is right for the Grizzlies to make their run at a top-four seed in the Western Conference.
Can they do that with a lackluster bench? They hope they won’t have to find out.