Las Vegas Summer League Preview: Memphis Grizzlies vs Sacramento Kings

When: 5:00 PM CST, Friday, July 12th, 2024

Where: Las Vegas Summer League, Cox Pavillion, Las Vegas, NV

How to Watch/Stream: NBA TV and Grind City Media App

After finishing the Salt Lake City Summer League with a 1-2 record, Grizzlies fans are itching for more of Zack Edey. Edey missed the final two games due to “ankle soreness” it seems like that the extra rest before tonight’s tilt will allow him to play. The Memphis Grizzlies take on the Sacramento Kings in the first of 4 games in the Las Vegas Summer League. Adonis Arms, a guard with the Memphis Hustle for last season, will be a leader for the Kings as they are missing their top 2024 Draft pick in Devin Carter. Carter seems likely to be sidelined for the start of the regular season as well as he recovers from a pending shoulder surgery. The Kings still boast a formidable roster with Keon Ellis coming off a 30-point performance in the California Classic Summer League and Drew Timme of college basketball fame at Gonzaga.  The Kings fielded 2 teams in the California SL but are combining the top performers into 1 team to compete in Las Vegas.

I love winning and I am hyper competitive. This squad has a real shot at winning the whole league while out in Vegas. Summer League is all about development though and finding potential role players. We all know what Edey’s role this fall will be (spoiler alert: he will be your starting center. Book it.). However, as the summer progresses there is an opportunity for young guys to carve out roles at the end of the bench. The vast majority of these guys will end up on G-league rosters or overseas. If any of them, outside of some impact rookies like Zach Edey, are playing late season minutes, then things have gone horribly wrong or a diamond in the rough has been found. If you don’t believe me, Google the Marc Gasol jersey retirement game on April 6th and take a quick gander at the box score. Things went so terribly wrong (outside of BC coming back!). But I digress.

I am still super high on GG and his trajectory, but I need to see some improvements in aspects of his game. I think Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells will both play quality minutes early in the season, as will Scottie Pippen, Jr. Is there anyone else that could find a place on this team? Here are 3 things I want to see tonight against the Kings.

GG, please… PASS THE DAMN BALL

A direct opposite to a common phrase that echoes throughout the southland on college football Saturdays in the fall could be applied to GG. Pass. The. Damn. Ball. GG has continued a lot of the trends we saw towards the end of last season, but were overlooked because the season was a wash at that point. The fact that GG was scoring 25-30 points a game made his inefficiencies easy to over look, even with low FG percentages. So far in this year’s summer league, with the chance to work on seeing the floor better and passing the ball for a better shot, more of the same has continued. GG finished the year with more turnovers (65) than assists (59) and shooting 42% from the field. So far in the 2 games he has played, GG has shot 30% and 50%, for a 40% average. GG had a horrible first game, going 6 for 20 from the field and 0-10 from beyond the arc. Woof. Add in the 4 turnovers, including one where he missed a WIDE open Jaylen Wells, and it was a recipe for disaster on the night.

Now listen, GG is a stud and on track to be a high level NBA player. To his credit he bounced back significantly in the OKC game scoring 18 points on 7-14 shooting from the floor. The guy has unreal potential but Summer League is about cleaning up mistakes and in the 2 games he has played, the same mistakes are being made. GG has to show growth in moving the basketball to avoid the sophomore slump that befalls too many players. He can score, there is no doubt about that, but in order to grow into the superstar potential he has, he cannot be a ball stop. In Las Vegas I want to see GG pass the ball more plain and simple. He can still get his shots up and take good looks, but the next step in his game is facilitation. When guys crash on him driving, I need to see him looking for the extra pass for the open shooter. When some one closes out on him at the 3 point line, can he find a way to get the ball down low to Zach Edey? If GG can use the rest of summer league to work on his game as a facilitator, he will quickly move up the depth chart.

Speaking of Edey on the block…

Can someone, anyone, make a post entry pass…?

Watching athletes far more gifted than I ever struggle with a simple entry pass into the poss drives me nuts. Rarely does someone hit Edey in the hands or in a good position to transition right into a post move. Even when Zack has a great seal on his man, the errant pass pulled him out of the position and he had to start over. So many times the lob to Edey has been too slow, off the mark, or not allowing him to make a move on the catch. I grew up a fan of basketball in the 90’s and Hakeem Olajuwon will always been my favorite player. Videos of the Dream catching entry passes and going to work should be on display in the Louvre. We have the opportunity to throw a wrinkle at teams not seen since those days. A couple of times, Coach March and the staff had beautiful plays drawn up that were executed well and Edey got an easy post bucket.

Inject that in my veins! Unfortunately, too many times it was not that smooth. For example this possession just prior to the one above, that could have been a beautiful post finish.

After a great swing to Cam Spencer and decent pass in to Edey, Scottie Pippen, Jr. panics when he gets the ball again and starts to drive into a crowded lane. Edey does a great job of creating an immediate re-post, setting himself up for an easy shot. If Scottie shoots a touch pass right back down to Edey, he likely dunks on Filipowski’s head. To sound like an old curmudgeon, kids these days don’t know about post play! Tonight’s game would be a great opportunity to practice this entry pass and bring back a forgotten aspect of the game. FEED EDEY IN THE POST!

Can Trey Jemison provide help in the post? Maybe…?

Trey Jemison had a very up and down run with the Grizzlies last year. On the second half of a 2 year 2-way deal, Jemison has the opportunity to prove he can be an NBA role player. Jemison averaged 5.4 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game last year, leaving more to be desired from a guy who is only effective within 5 feet of the rim. Jemison has had a mixed bag so far this summer grabbing 1, 11, and 8 rebounds leaving his average slightly above his career numbers. Offensively Jemison closed out the Salt Lake City Summer League with a 20 point explosion on 9-12 shooting against the Thunder, including a hustle put back dunk with a flex!

Long story short, I don’t think Jemison has much of a role on this team outside of injuries. He will contribute sparingly during the season as the emergence of Zach Edey will make it tough for him to crack the rotation. I always think of it in terms of whose minutes someone will take when thinking about a role with the team. Edey will likely play 20-25 minutes per game at center, BC will log 15-18 minutes, and Jaren will still get some run in small ball lineups – leaving Jemison as the odd man out. However, Jemison can prove he can provide quality minutes for the doldrums of the NBA season. I would like to see him build on that 20 point game momentum, while proving he is a competent rebounder as well. If he can do those things, he will get some run in the early season to help save Edey and company for a playoff run.

Tune in tonight as the Grizzlies look to start the Las Vegas Summer League off with a win and hopefully are back to full strength. I look for Edey and LaRavia to be back tonight after some extended rest to recover from the reported ankle soreness. I anticipate a starting lineup of Scottie Pippen, Jr., Jaylen Wells, Jake LaRavia, GG Jackson II, and Zach Edey to face the Kings. Go Grizz!