The Grizzlies return home tonight to for their first contest this season against the Portland Trailblazers. As always, three thoughts:
- LARRY KUZNIEWSKI
- Darrell Arthur
1. The New Old Griz: This Portland team reminds me a bit of the 2009-2010 Grizzlies. They’ve got a really good, young, balanced starting line-up that features several potential All-Stars — led by power forward LaMarcus Aldridge — but no real superstars. (Though I guess we can’t rule out Rookie of the Year frontrunner Damian Lillard getting to that stage.) That starting lineup has made the Blazers more competitive that many expected — they’ve gone 8-3 over their past 11 games to get to 16-15, currently 8th in the West — but it’s undercut by a truly deplorable bench. The Grizzlies’ best bench player in 09-10 was rookie Sam Young, who averaged 7.4 points with a 13 PER. For the Blazers, their best reserve has been rookie Meyers Leonard, who’s averaged 4.7 points with a 13.0 PER. This lack of depth is going to keep the Blazers from making the playoffs. That Grizzlies team contended for awhile, but finished up at 40-42. I suspect the Blazers are heading for a win total somewhere in the mid-thirties. But, like those Grizzlies, there’s potential to make a significant leap next season simply by adding a few professional basketball players to that bench.
2. The Diversity of Darrell Arthur: I’d like to see Darrell Arthur score and especially rebound at a little higher rate, but those are topics for another day. Right now, let’s take a moment to appreciate his athleticism and the diversity it allows. Watch Arthur closely and you’ll regularly see him make impactful defensive plays that don’t register in the box score: Blowing up pick-and-rolls. Switching onto and containing perimeter ballhandlers. Cutting off drives and setting up teammates steals. Racing down in transition to disrupt a fastbreak.
Now, with the recent injury to reserve wing Quincy Pondexter, we’ve seen Arthur add to his resume by playing a more than passable small forward. When Lionel Hollins made the unexpected switch following Pondexter’s injury against the Nuggets, I suspected it might work, in spots, because I think Arthur can guard all but the most dynamic players at the position, but so far it’s turned out even better than I expected.
