Rip City Project recently asked questions to a representative of the Barn Burner, a sports website with a focus on Memphis. As the Portland Trail Blazers gear up to take on the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, you can gear up to by reading our Q&A with the good folks over there!
The Portland Trail Blazers travel to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies and hopefully wash the bad taste out of their mouth from their recent performance against the Houston Rockets.
This will undoubtedly be a difficult matchup as the Grizzlies are playing much better than they did last year and where they were projected to land during the offseason. They are currently 15-11, after just winning 22 games all of last year. Stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are back to full strength, and their getting an extra boost from their new rotation and rookie Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Barn Burner, a Memphis-focused sports site, recently reached out to Rip City Project to do a collaboration on some questions and answers about the upcoming game against our beloved teams. You can read our answers here, while the Barn Burner’s appear below:
Jaren Jackson Jr. has been one of the best rookies this year. Where do you place his odds in the Rookie of the Year race between guys like Luka Doncic and DeAndre Ayton? What’s been so special about him?
The Grizzlies definitely struck gold when selecting Jaren Jackson Jr. 4th overall in last summer’s draft. This year’s draft class was especially deep. There are a significant number of guys from that group who are making an immediate impact in the league.
Though he was selected first in the draft, I don’t put Deandre Ayton at the head of the rookie class. While he has a very strong ability to finish around the rim and rebound – two very important areas – it is hard to see what kind of impact Ayton would be able to have on a good team. The Suns are really bad and it is hard to sift out the empty stats from his situation.
Luka Doncic was probably the most hyped up and scrutinized prospect leading into the draft, and he has met or exceeded expectations so far. He has played a valuable role in making the Mavs relevant much sooner than most would have imagined. Doncic’s playmaking and scoring ability have set him apart from much of the rookie class and I consider him – much to the chagrin of the majority of Grizz Nation – to be the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year right now.
There are several things that make Jaren Jackson Jr. such an exciting young player. He is a true modern day big man and can play both ends of the floor very well. Jaren is averaging almost two blocks per game and has a 7’ 4” wingspan that alters shots frequently. On the offensive side of the floor, he has shown the ability to shoot from beyond the arc, take defenders off the dribble, and finish at the rim. His biggest limiter is himself. He has earned 4 or more fouls in 16 of 26 games. Jaren has yet to learn to how to avoid reaching in and picking up cheap fouls. In the paint he struggles to stay straight up, instead opting to try and block down on the shot, despite his long arms. If he continues to trend up and earn more minutes, it is possible that he might be atop the ROY standings at the end of the season, but staying on the floor and also the Grizzlies success remain critical factors.
The Grizzlies won just 22 games last year. Coach David Fizdale was fired, Marc Gasol was full of discontent, and Mike Conley was injured. Now, they’re on pace to win 47 games. What’s been the biggest difference this year? Is it just the fact Conley’s back? Is it Jackson? The new pieces around them?
At the beginning of the season, most of the media picked the Grizzlies to finish somewhere in the low 30’s in wins. I believe that a healthy Mike Conley and Marc Gasol automatically make this team 10 wins above that number. Add on top of that a legitimate third scoring option (Jackson) and some additional defensive minded players, and there is a team that has a chance to make the playoffs.
When Mike Conley is healthy, the Grizzlies are good. Though Marc Gasol is an excellent player, the Grizzlies must have their conductor at the helm to have a chance to win. Mike is the most consistent scorer on this roster and if it is a close game, you can guarantee the ball will be in his hands at the end of it – his usage rate increases steadily as the game goes along. Marc started off the season playing career level basketball, but tweaked his ankle a few games ago and has drastically tapered off on both ends of the ball. Many suspect that Marc needs some rest since he is averaging 35 minutes per game at 34 years old. Over the summer, the Grizzlies signed Kyle Anderson away from San Antonio and also added Shelvin Mack, Omri Casspi, and Garrett Temple. All four of these players have exceeded expectations of the general fan. Mack and Temple have cooled off as of late, but have both played big roles from time to time. The Grizzlies management has chosen to stack the roster with high IQ and defensively talented players, and so far it has paid off.
How will the Grizzlies lose to the Blazers? How will they win against them?
The Grizzlies will lose this game if they continue to rebound like they have recently. They are currently 29th in the league in total rebounds. Portland is in the top third in offensive rebounds and Memphis cannot afford to give up second chance points. The Grizzlies play the slowest pace in the NBA, so it is very hard to make up those baskets.
Memphis will beat the Blazers if they are able to stifle either Dame or CJ. If both of those guys go off, then Memphis will not have a chance. However, Garrett Temple and Kyle Anderson have both played solid defense against a variety of top notch scorers this season, so Memphis will look to them to lead the charge defensively.
If there was any one Blazer you could add to the Grizzlies (outside of Dame, CJ, and Nurk), who would it be and why?
I think I would go with Al-Farouq Aminu if I had to poach a Trail Blazer and add him to the Grizzlies roster. He seems like a pretty consistent guy who can play a couple of positions and also step out and shoot the three. Our ability to rebound and hit threes are two glaring weaknesses right now, so anyone who can help with that would be an immediate asset to the team.
What will you be watching for in this game?
Can Marc Gasol get back on track? He was severely outmatched in Denver on Monday against Nikola Jokic. He also failed to take several wide open shots towards the end of the game, putting his teammates in a bind. Whoever is able to develop authority early between Nurkic and Gasol could determine the course of the aforementioned rebounding aspect of the game.
See what happens tonight at 5:00 P.S.T. as the Blazers look to rebound against the Grizzlies.
*All questions answered by @BarnBurnerBro