Tag: Brandon Clarke

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Quarter Season Progress Report Part One – The Kids Are Alright

Ja Morant

Disclaimer: The Memphis Grizzlies are in the early stages of a full rebuild, and it is with that knowledge that one should apply criticism or judgment. The scope of possible outcomes for this season is markedly different than if this were a team contending for a playoff spot. 


Which is not to say that there should be no accountability or expectations at all placed on this team for this season, but context is key. The metrics that I have chosen to use for this evaluation were with that context in mind. There is importance in managing expectations in line with where the team has started and for the phase of rebuilding they are in currently.

Read on to see how the Grizzlies have fared in the first quarter of the season, what progress they have made, and what areas could use improvement. 

In the interest of readability, this is going to be broken up into 2-3 parts, starting with the youngest Grizzlies.

Jaren Jackson Jr. – has been shooting the ball well, but his rebounding numbers are an area that could use some improvement. Ideally, Jackson Jr. should be doubling his rebound numbers over the course of the season. Staying out of foul trouble is another area that needs improvement. Grade: B+

Ja Morant – a bit turnover prone, although that isn’t unusual for a rookie. Morant has great assist numbers and is shooting well. He is a dynamic player who is lots of fun to watch, which is good, as he is the future of the point guard position in Memphis. Grade: A

Brandon Clarke – is good at just about everything. Shoots well, rebounds proficiently, doesn’t turn the ball much. Once he is off the injured report, Clarke should see his usage rate go up, hopefully. Also, he is (still) currently rated as the top rookie in the league for Wins produced. Grade: A+

Grayson Allen – so far Allen has been a pleasant surprise. Is he now or will he be a superstar in this league? Probably not. But he is showing that he can be a proficient role player and has statistically improved since his rookie season with the Jazz. Allen has so far improved his shooting percentage, rebound percentage, and free throw percentage. Allen is ranked 11th among sophomores in free throw shooting. Grade: B-

Tyus Jones – his Grizzlies tenure has been a bit underwhelming thus far. His assist numbers are decent, but his scoring has been nothing much to write home about. Even factoring in the increased minutes Jones has been playing with Morant unavailable, he’s still struggling offensively. On a positive note, he does typically stay out of foul trouble. Grade: C

 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Morant Named Western Conference Rookie of the Month

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the month for games played during October and November. Morant is the first Grizzlies rookie to be named Western Conference Rookie of the Month since Nick Calathes in February 2014. 
Larry Kuzniewski

Ja Morant

The Murray State standout is averaging 18.6 points, 6.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 28.7 minutes per game in his rookie season. He is shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. Morant led all rookies in scoring average, assists per game, 20-point games (9) and double-doubles (3) through the end of November.

In his third NBA game, the rookie point guard tallied 30 points (career-high), nine assists, and four rebounds in 32 minutes. He became only the third player in NBA history to score at least 30 points and have at least nine assists within the first three games of their career, joining Isiah Thomas (1981) and Trae Young (2018).

Morant scored a game-winning bucket after splitting three defenders with a left-handed drive to the rim with 0.7 seconds left on the clock to lift the Grizzlies over the Hornets on November 13th. He led the way for his team that night, as he recorded the first double-double of his career, finishing with 23 points and 11 assists.

The 20-year-old became the youngest NBA player in nearly 10 years to make a game-winning basket on the road with under one second remaining in the game. 

Morant has consistently received high praise from fans and other players around the league. The second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft shares Rookie of the Month honors with Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn, who earned the monthly award for the Eastern Conference. 

Morant is currently on the injured list, having missed two games with back spasms. He is listed as week-to-week. 

Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was also a nominee for NBA Western Conference Rookie of the month honors. 

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Brandon Clarke: Dark Horse Rookie of the Year Candidate?

CREDIT: NBA.com

There has been a lot of much-deserved hype around Ja Morant, whom the Grizzlies drafted with their #2 overall pick. Morant is an excellent player in his own right, and nothing I am about to say is meant to detract from that. 
NBA.com

Brandon Clarke

However, there is a genuine case to be made for Brandon Clarke as a dark horse rookie of the year candidate. Clarke’s impact on the court has been somewhat understated until now.

Using Wins Produced as the measure, Brandon Clarke leads the league among rookies. Wins in basketball are about gaining possession of the ball (without the other team scoring), keeping possession, and converting possessions into points. So what matters in basketball is rebounds, turnovers, and shooting efficiency.

Therefore, the most productive players are players like Clarke. He shoots efficiently and he rebounds. The most productive players may not be the top scorers as scoring depends on both shooting efficiency and shot attempts. A player can boost their scoring average by increasing the number of shots they take. But efficiency matters, and is often overlooked in favor of scoring averages.

Per NBA.com, among rookies, Brandon Clarke leads the league in efficiency per game (17.1), and in efficiency per 48 minutes (37.1). In efficiency per 48 minutes Clarke doesn’t just lead among rookies, he dominates. In fact, the next closest rookie player in efficiency per 48 minutes (25.9) is Ja Morant.

Larry Kuzniewski

Brandon Clarke

Disclaimer: Obviously, this is a rather small sample size, and there are many more games to be played.

Is it still way too early in the season to cast ballots for Rookie of the Year? Of course. But as the narrative for ROY gets shaped, Brandon Clarke should definitely be in the conversation.

*Stats from boxscoregeeks.com and NBA.com*