The Memphis Grizzlies, in desperate need of a late-game boost, found it in rookie David Roddy.
Roddy scored 17 points (7-8 FG, 3-4 3P) in the final period as the Grizzlies knocked off the Dallas Mavericks, 112-108 Saturday night, at FedExForum. The rookie finished with a career-high 24 points off the bench.
With the win, Memphis improved to 40-26 on the season and maintained the league’s second-best home record this season at 28-5.
“I think the biggest thing is he’s got ultimate confidence,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said of Roddy’s performance. “It’s channeled in the right way, in my opinion, in that he’s hard on himself, he’s been learning since summer league, early in the season, as I mentioned, G league opportunities.”
Jenkins continued, “He’s got this great poise about him as a rookie. You see how hard he plays, how competitive he is. He misses a shot, he kind of beats himself up real quick and then he immediately gets to the next play. That’s tons of credit, for a guy to kind of have that next play mentality.”
“When you’re playing that hard and you’re playing the right way, the ball finds you, and you get rewarded for it, and he made the plays down the stretch,” Jenkins added. “We were switching a lot, and I thought he did a really good job on the ball with his on-ball defense, keeping guys in front, but his confidence is channeled in a really good way to stay prepared for moments like that. Obviously, first moment in his rookie season to do that, especially in a very pivotal game and fourth quarter, and the way it was going, we needed all that, but not a surprise at how he stays ready that he was able to have a game like that….”
Tony Allen, former Grizzlies legend, used to say, “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” And that’s what the 21-year-old rookie did. He stayed ready.
“Really just relying on the vets, the coaching staff, the video guys as well,” Roddy said about staying patient and waiting his turn.
“Vets like Xavier Tillman [Sr.], who’s been in that position. Santi [Aldama] as well. Dillon [Brooks], [Desmond Bane], all those guys … really just leaning on them. Just understanding their experiences from when they were young. You don’t know all the answers, but you have to stick to the process and trust that your opportunity is going to come and just be ready for that. I really want to give kudos to those guys.”
Late in the fourth quarter after securing a game-saving steal, the 17,794 in attendance shouted, “RODDY, RODDY, RODDY!!!”
Roddy was appreciative of the moment, “It’s pretty cool. You’re still locked into the game, you don’t really understand, or you don’t really know, at one point, but I was walking away, and I was like, ‘Oh wait, that’s pretty cool.’ I appreciate all the fans coming out, making it a special night.”
Desmond Bane was the Grizzlies leading scorer with 25 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. He was excited by Roddy’s breakout performance.
“I’m so happy for him,”Bane said. “He puts his best foot forward every day. Whether it’s G League, whether it’s with us, he deserves it. He puts the work in, has the right attitude, and you never know when your moment is going to come. He helped us win the game, and he’s a big part of the reason we won tonight. Tell him to stay confident, stay aggressive, and keep doing what he’s been doing.”
Up Next
The Grizzlies and the Mavericks will play again, in Dallas this time, Monday, March 13, at 6:30pm CT.
