Game Preview: Memphis Grizzlies vs Houston Rockets

When: Wednesday, November 22nd, 7:00 PM CST

Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX

How to Watch/Stream: Bally Sports Southeast

After a promising yet unsurprising, heartbreaking loss to the title-favorite Boston Celtics, the Memphis Grizzlies will travel to Houston, Texas, in hopes of building upon the positive aspects of their previous performance. 

Tonight’s matchup is even more important when realizing that the team’s two games after this are against Phoenix and Minnesota, two of the leaders in the Western Conference. Focusing on the now, Houston has been one of the surprises of this early NBA season, starting 6-6 and playing a more team-friendly style of basketball this year.

New head coach Ime Udoka has immediately provided a boost to a team that has frequently been in the NBA’s basement over the last couple of years, while free-agent acquisition Fred Van Vleet has supplemented Udoka’s leadership with an unselfish, mature presence on the court. 

Similarly, the Rockets have also seen gifted year-three players Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green take massive steps forward. Coupling all of these things with 2023’s fourth overall pick Amen Thompson and 2022’s third overall pick Jabari Smith Jr, the franchise’s abundance of talent is clear.

However, despite a new coach, talented young players, and acquiring a former All-Star, all eyes will be on Dillon Brooks and his first matchup against his old squad.

How will the Grizzlies react to facing their former instigator? Will Dillon get revenge after being humiliated in the media for the team’s failure?

Despite looking better in recent games, Memphis needs to start stacking wins to give itself a fighting chance once Ja returns, and there’s no opportunity like the present.

Return of Dillon the Villain 

Per a report from the Houston Chronicle, Dillon Brooks has declared himself the “ex-girlfriend” that the team wouldn’t know they missed until they were gone. Following that, he went on to say that “[The Grizzlies] have no swagger.”

These quotes follow another report where Brooks claimed that the team used him as a scapegoat for their loss against the Lakers, in which he posted 10.5 points on 37.7% effective field goal percentage.

Scapegoat or not, Brooks has seemingly stepped his game up in Houston. After signing a four-year/ $86 million contract, he has started the season averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 61% effective field goal percentage. 

Unsurprisingly, Dillon has continued his instigation tactics from last year. However, what is surprising is Brooks leading the league in three-point percentage at 50%. 

Ironically, Dillon’s antagonistic actions have become accepted and even loved now that he’s left Memphis (funny how that works). The Grizzlies will be relying on their usual batch of wings, Aldama, Vince, Ziaire Williams, and Roddy, to make him regret dragging them through the mud on his way out.

Dealing With Walmart Jokic

While nicknames of “Poor Man’s X” or “Great Value X” are normally seen as an insult, I have dubbed Alperen Sengun as Walmart Jokic out of a begrudging respect for him as a player. 

Stylistically, he is about as close as you can get to the Serbian, operating as a creative passing hub out of the post. The Turkish big man is averaging 5.7 assists to go with nearly 21 points and nine rebounds per game. 

These stats still somehow undervalue Sengun’s importance, constantly acting as the connector piece on a team full of shoot-first players.

Along with continuing to improve as a playmaker, Sengun has also taken a step forward as a shooter this year. After shooting less than 25% from deep in his rookie year, Senun is now shooting just below 35% on 2.2 attempts per game.

Defensively, Sengun has often been a liability in his career. By attacking him on that side of the ball, the Grizzlies will have capitalized off of one of Houston’s weaknesses (lack of rim protection), as well as tiring one of their greatest offensive weapons.

Ideally, Bismack Biyombo will be tasked with guarding Sengun. Not only will this allow JJJ to roam and protect the rim a bit more freely, but Sengun’s excellent back-to-the-basket game will face a bit more deterrence, thanks to Biyombo’s strength.

If Biyombo can keep Sengun off the boards and force him into contested looks in the post, all while JJJ provides help-side rotations, then the Grizzlies should be in a much better position to win this game.

Continued Development

While Ja Morant’s suspension has negatively affected the on-court performance of the Grizzlies, it has opened the door for more on-ball opportunities for his teammates.

Desmond Bane has opened the season playing at an All-NBA level, displaying a level of comfort in operating the offense that he hasn’t displayed thus far in his career. Bane has done this while maintaining his elite efficiency.

Like Bane, Santi Aldama has seemingly taken a step forward on offense, thriving in the vacuum left by Morant. Against Boston, Aldama posted back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in his NBA career while also posting his career-high in points at 28.

JJJ has also shown more of a willingness to attack with the ball in his hands, something that has been an area of concern in years past. While this aggressiveness has come with varied results, it’s important to remember that Jackson Jr. provides the vast majority of his impact on the defensive side of the ball.

Fans have been critical of JJJ thus far in the season, but it’s important to note that bigs often have a slower, less drastic developmental curve. That fact, combined with JJJ’s shockingly low age for his class, contributes to his offensive game being behind fan expectations.

Regardless, his “struggles” are nothing compared to where he was earlier in his career, and I have no doubts that he’ll continue developing beyond the All-Star we saw last year.

The Injury Bug Continues

Upon losing Marcus Smart for a couple of weeks, Grizzlies fans were all left pondering the same question: “Could it get any worse?”

The answer was a resounding yes. Two players recently fell victim to the Grizzlies injury report, as Xavier Tillman Sr. is considered to be week-to-week, and Luke Kennard is reportedly out for two weeks.  Both players are dealing with knee soreness. 

With Derrick Rose being a game-time decision, it’s fair to ask who else will step up. If the game against Boston was any indication, then Grizzlies fans should expect to see far more of Vince Williams. 

Providing excellent stretches of physical on-ball defense, the former VCU man could be exactly what the Grizzlies have been crying out for. While only playing 17 minutes, Williams led the team in plus-minus at +8.

Along with Williams, other periphery players will be forced to assume greater roles due to numerous injuries. Roddy, Ziaire, and KLJ should try to take advantage of this opportunity to earn more minutes and continue developing.