Suddenly, It’s The Bench Keeping Memphis Competitive

Luke Kennard

We all know with Luke Kennard it was never a matter of ‘if’ but a matter of ‘when’. Never for a second did doubt cross my mind that ‘Nardo’ wouldn’t get hot from deep at some point. I’ve said it until I’m red in the face – You don’t lead the league in 3PT% two years running and not adjust to the mean sooner or later.

Sure the first six games were a minor cause for concern. But if that’s his dry spell? I’ll take it, because these past two games he’s been lights out from beyond the arc. Let me rephrase. He’s been lights out as a whole these past two games.

Over his past two games, Kennard is averaging 14.0 PTS, 3.5 TRB, 2.5 AST, and 1.0 STL in these contests. Not bad, not bad at all. But examine his shooting in these games even further and you’ll understand my glee.

In their Portland win, his shooting splits were 55.6/66.7/100.0 with a TS% of 79.4%. In the loss against Miami, they were 57.1/50.0/100.0 and with an absolute absurd TS% of 82.5%. Stop reading for a moment and look at those numbers again. If he sustains that level of production—even on occasion—the rest of the season, it will be a huge boost to the offense.

Plus, Luke has appears to be makign a bigger impact on defense. Per Cleaning the Glass, Luke’s defensive Pts/Poss, eFG%, and TOV% are all in the league’s 87th percentile or higher. For comparison’s sake, Last year he finished the season without any making it in to the 75th percentile. If this level defense is sustainable, you have a true bench ace in Kennard.

Jacob Gilyard

As mentioned, we knew what ‘Cool Hand’ Luke was capable of. The same could not be said for one Jacob Gilyard (unless you considered yourself a purveyor of the Richmond Spiders Or a G-League aficionado.) If not one of those two things, what Gilyard has been doing must be surprising.

He’s been making the most of his minutes so much so that Memphis may have a decision on their hands. More on that in a second. Let’s examine what Jacob is doing first. In the four games he saw action—that wasn’t garbage time—he was producing pretty damn well for someone that’s 5’9″.

The Grizzlies have gone 1-3 in those games. He is playing 14.6 minutes and averaging 2.3 PTS and 3.8 AST, while also shooting the ball at a 60.0% rate from both the field and from deep. Even more eye-opening is how well Gilyard is handling the ball and making decisions. For players who have played in more than one game this season, Gilyard is currently ranked 2nd in the league in AST/TO Ratio. That’s 2nd in the league in assist to turnover ratio. Production they’re getting from a guy on a 2-Way mind you. That’s nothing short of impressive. Damn. I said short didn’t I? Doesn’t matter, dude can hoop.

Which—as mentioned earlier—may force the Grizzlies hand. There’s no reason he shouldn’t supplant Derrick Rose in the rotation. Rose brings that imperative veteran voice that Ja needs, but that doesn’t guarantee he plays.

Keep him on the roster to steady the locker room, allowing Gilyard to man the second unit. The reserves are thriving when there’s a real connector amongst them. Actually, everybody is thriving with him running the point.

You see lineups with Gilyard running the point are actually pretty good. Per Cleaning the Glass, he’s played in 94 possessions this season. Those lineups rank in the league’s 100th percentile in efficiency differential. Overall, Gilyard doesn’t care about his height and he’s looking every bit as integral as Kennard at this point. He also looks like he fits exactly what this team needs. That’s two bench guys who—barring further injury—should remain in the rotation.

Santi Aldama

Which brings me to the third guy who’s proven he needs minutes. Someone who’s season started out barred by injury, unfortunately. I mentioned him early if you’ll remember, as the guy who sustained injury one day before the season… Santi Aldama.

Last season Santi ‘Claus’ made sure to prove any and all doubters wrong. By immediately producing in place of Jaren Jackson Jr., he bullied his way into the rotation. And once Trip returned, he stayed there.

For those uninformed, Aldama spent his summer playing against grown men in FIBA play. Despite Spain placing right inside the top ten (9th), it was due in no part to his play. He was second on the team in efficiency, points, and rebounds, making sure he kept hooping.

‘Slim Spain’ has kept his forward momentum since coming back from his pre-season injury. In two games this season, he’s already averaging 9.5 PTS, 6.5 TRB, 1.5 AST, and 1.0 STL. If you project those numbers across 100 possessions, the numbers look even better.

His per 100 numbers on the season are 19.5 PTS, 13.4 TRB, 3.1 AST, 2.1 STL, and 1.0 BLK. You’ll notice those in the roster’s top five in several categories. And that’s in two games this year. It will not surprise me to see Santi make yet another leap in Memphis. And to be honest, if he does or doesn’t, he’s still needed in the rotation.

Between Kennard, Gilyard, and Aldama, that’s three dudes who appear to be thriving. When given opportunities, each have excelled. Fingers crossed the Grizzlies were paying attention. Because they’ll need all three this season.

Photo credit: (Petre Thomas, USA TODAY Sports)