Memphis Grizzlies: 2015-16 Season Outlook

Three Key Storylines (cont.)

3. How Does Dave Joerger Manage His Wings?

Tony Allen. Matt Barnes. Courtney Lee. Jeff Green. Vince Carter. With so many shooting guards and small forwards on the roster (and we’re not even including Jordan Adams here), head coach Dave Joerger will have his hands full when it comes to allocating minutes in the proper place.

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In the case of Mr. “First Team All-Defense,” Allen brings the kind of gritty perimeter defense that embodies this team’s identity. In the West, having a guy who can be tasked with guarding anyone from Stephen Curry to Kevin Durant is a precious commodity. Unfortunately, Allen’s one-sided skill set is exactly what’s holding the Grizz back.

We’ve seen it too many times in the playoffs already: teams sag off of Tony Allen, completely content with him jacking up as many perimeter shots as possible, which allows them to double up on Gasol or Z-Bo when they get their touches down low. Memphis had a top-10 offense for most of the season, but when defenses tighten up in the postseason, the Grizz can ill-afford that kind of offensive liability.

Courtney Lee is one of the team’s best three-point shooters, but he’s not a game-changer on the wing. Matt Barnes is a decent 3-and-D player, as is Jeff Green, but not much more than that. Rounding out the group is Vince Carter, who was hit-or-miss (mostly miss) coming off the bench and launching threes.

As of right now, Vinsanity has to be the player who gets pushed to the edge of the rotation, but deciding who starts at the 2 and the 3 won’t be easy for Joerger, and figuring out how and when to play the members of this logjam won’t be any easier.

Next: Best, Worst Case Scenarios