Memphis Grizzlies starting lineup: Locks, fringe, potential break-ins

Photo by Kim Klement - Pool/Getty Images
Photo by Kim Klement - Pool/Getty Images
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Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Memphis Grizzlies starting lineups: Locks

Without major additions to the roster, the starting lineup from last season will likely continue. The only things that may change the lineup is health.

Ja Morant

Without question, the most important starter is Ja Morant coming off his Rookie of the Year campaign averaging 17.8 points per game and 7.3 assists per game.

Morant wasn’t perfect last season. His turnovers (3.3 per game) and overall defense were the main two concerns coming out of the season. But without a doubt, Morant is the franchise-changing player that every team hopes to get in the draft.

Morant led the team in two major statistical categories in his rookie season. He was eighth in total assists for the 2019-20 season and ranked tenth in assist per game. Morant was the engine of the Grizzlies’ offense. He alone accounted for 24.8 percent of the Grizzlies total assists for the season

More data for you, Morant was one of the biggest reasons why the Grizzlies led the league in points in the paint per game last season — 62.1 percent of Morant’s field goals were made within 10 feet of the basket.  

It’s evident that Morant already has the cahonas factor and we’ll see if he can take the Grizzlies into the playoff push again in his second season.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Jaren Jackson Jr. will not start the season due to his recovery from a torn left knee meniscus, so in his place will be one of the fringe players.

When healthy, Jackson is the Grizzlies’ second-best player and by far the Grizzlies’ best defensive player. Last season Jackson ranked 76th in defensive box plus/minus and 97th in defensive win shares while averaging 1.4 blocks per game. As a team, the Grizzlies ranked 15th in defensive rating.

Jackson is a potent threat on offense. He averaged 17.4 points per game while attempting 6.5 threes per game and making 39.0 percent for the season.

He fits next to Morant perfectly, able to stretch the floor for Morant’s drives who can use his freakishly long arms for lobs while covering for Morant’s defensiveness lapses as a lurking shot blocker.

The only question around Jackson’s starting position is his health. His return to play has not been published so it’s a wait-and-see on when Jackson will return.

Dillon Brooks

Dillon Brooks starts for two simple reasons, he defends the perimeter and he shoots threes.

Brooks averaged 16.2 points per game, taking 5.6 attempts from three per game and making 35.0 percent. His off the dribble creation is important but is often inefficient – commonly a long two or highly contested jump shots.

When Jackson went down in the Bubble, Brooks kept the Grizzlies afloat, averaging 22.5 points per game in the six games Jackson missed. The Grizzlies need someone other than Morant to score off the dribble, and Brooks can do that despite it sometimes being inefficient in the regular season.

The real reason Brooks is a lock is that while being a good-to-great shooter, he is more importantly the team’s primary perimeter defender.

Brooks defended guards 66.8 percent of the time last season while ranking 64th in defensive win-shares among guards. His defensive abilities are important for this team because Morant is currently neutral at best on the defensive end.

 Jonas Valanciunas

The large Lithuanian is the last remaining lock for the Grizzlies’ starting lineup. Valanciunas averaged 14.9 points per game, 11.3 rebounds (sixth-highest average) and 1.1 blocks per game.

Valanciunas is one of the best screeners in the league with his size and strength, ranking 17th in screen assists last season of players who played more than 30 games. His pick and roll chemistry with Morant is secretly one of the best duos in the league, especially in pick and pops, shooting 35 percent on 1.3 attempts from three last season.

Arguably Valanciunas’ biggest impact is supporting Jackson’s development. Jackson is a foul magnet (led the league with 4.1 per game) while also allowing Jackson to protect his body during the season.

Jackson already has had a long list of lower-body injuries. With Valanciunas playing center, it helps Jackson not take the brunt of every other teams’ offense, similarly to JaVale McGee and Anthony Davis last season.