Choose Your Own Adventure: Replacing the Villain

The feeling of reading a good book is unlike anything on the planet. I grew up an avid reader, and more often than not, my chubby bespectacled ginger mop could be found nose buried in a book as kid. One of my all time favorite childhood series? The ‘Chose Your Own Adventure’ books.

As a kid, I found that the having complete control of the story was a truly exhilarating experience. When so much is controlled for you as a child, keeping hands on the wheel of your own adventure felt…cool for lack of a better word.

Cool for a little nerd at least.

The fact that the books were infused with a dose of chaos was also something I was drawn to; unhappy with your ending, flip a few pages and try for a more satisfying conclusion. For a kid like myself with imagination that was known to run wild, this series was basically playground in book form. Soon, the Grizzlies will find themselves in their own playground so to speak.

With Dillon Brooks officially no longer under contract, Memphis will have the opportunity to ‘Choose Their Own Adventure’ as they seek out his replacement, something they’ve not had the freedom to do in some time. The roster as currently constructed most assuredly will be different than the 15-man unit trotted out for game one.

Projecting the opening day roster isn’t the point though. It’s about combing through the various options the Grizzlies have already assembled to find a serviceable replacement for the Villain. So for the sake of this exercise, the roster shall remain equal; only players currently under contract with the Grizzlies will be possible choices. With that end mind, open your book to page one…

The Memphis Grizzlies have informed pending free agent Dillon Brooks that he will not be brought back under any circumstances, league sources say.

Full story and details at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/CRztYTgYi7

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 2, 2023

!BEWARE and WARNING!

‘This piece is different from other pieces. You and YOU ALONE are in charge of what happens this Memphis ‘offseason’. There are dangers, choices, adventures and consequences. YOU must use all of your numerous talents and much of your enormous intelligence. The wrong decision could end in disaster—even death…

But, don’t despair. At anytime, YOU can go back and make another choice, alter the path of your story, and change its result…. You have just informed the Villain, Dillon Brooks, he will not be brought back to the Grizzlies…’

If you decide to continuously reign fire with ‘Nuke’ turn to #10…

Should you chose this path for Memphis, the offense that Dillon never brought to the table becomes the focus, not the defense that follows him out. The fact that over 80% of his minutes were at one of the two guard spots shouldn’t give you cause for concern either. In four previous campaigns (2 each with the Pistons and Clippers), ‘Nuke’ spent at least 40% of his minutes at the 3 spot, per Cleaning the Glass.

Three and D is the name of the game on the Wing, so let’s stack ‘Nardo’ up with the Villain. Kennard’s first game in Memphis was 2/10/23. From that date until the end of the season (excluding the playoffs), he attempted over 4 treys in 19 games, shooting less than 40% in just 5 of these contests. For comparison’s sake, during this same time frame Brooks chucked up more than 4 shots from deep in 21 games while making significantly less of them (less than 40% on 14 occasions).

Stark is the word I would use to describe the contrast in ability here.

What were you expecting though? One guy is arguably the best three point shooter in the league, the other guy just likes to think he is. It’s not like you lose that much on the defensive end of things either; ‘Nuke’ doesn’t get nearly enough credit as a defender. He played like a man possessed attacking the boards in the playoffs. Sure, Dillon demands the toughest assignment, but isn’t just another selfish decision in a long line of selfish decisions? Brooks’ poorly selected and ill-advised shot attempts bringing you down? Then Luke Kennard is the tonic for you.

If you decide to grapple with the ‘Big Body’ brawler turn to #27…

Should you elect to follow this path for the Grizzlies, it shows a commitment to a bruising level of defensive play. If you prefer your wings fit the same mold as the Villain (massive, tenacious defenders) ‘Big Body’ David Roddy may be a hooper more your speed. It definitely seems to be for Coach Jenkins. Pretty early into his rookie campaign TJ would routinely use Roddy in relief of Dillon first. This often resulted in him being asked to guard the other team’s best player for key stretches of time.

Now, defense is one of those things I would say comes a little bit slower to most rookies. The game is just operating on an entirely different speed at the NBA level, the adjustment period varies from rook to rook. ‘Big Body’ Roddy eagerly matched the pro pace, and quickly made a habit of absolutely gashing opponents. When you’re that big and that fast, it’s going to take something of equal force to stop it. It’s one factor that’s led to him being such an effective defender.

Whatever your thoughts about Dillon Brooks, there’s no denying that his defense is something the team will miss. Lucky for the Grizzlies they may not be wanting for long. Per Cleaning the Glass, the defensive prowess of the ‘Big Body’ really wasn’t that different from the Villain. Dillon would of course play more minutes per game so keep that in mind. Regardless, Roddy’s block percentage, offensive rebounding percentage (field goals and free throws), and defensive rebounding percentage (field goals) would all exceed Brooks’ numbers.

He would manage to foul less than the Villain, and was only a hair behind his steal percentage too. With the ‘Big Body’ seemingly already a better team defender than the Villain, his continued evolution highlights your choice to shore up the defenses in Memphis.

If you decide to rely on your magic eight ball and ‘Z’ turn to #8…

If a redemption arc is one you seek, the decision to challenge the fate of the prodigal son is indeed a bold one. ‘Z’ was supposed to have the second year leap that was all but promised. The lengthy, quick defender with the tools in place for bursts of offense we saw galloping up and down the court his rookie season was seemingly destined to continue this trajectory. His transformation in to the small forward of the future was supposed to usher in the next phase of Memphis basketball while becoming a fixture of the roster.

A little overdramatic? Probably. Still, there’s no hiding that the Grizzlies front office was relying a great deal on Ziaire heading into the season. After what they saw from him at such an early age, I mean why would they not? He had yet to turn 20 when he was drafted, yet clearly exhibited a level of raw talent and ability that was ripe for development. In particular, the defensive acumen ‘Z’ showed at such a young age is astounding. Per Cleaning the Glass, he was in the top 63rd percentile at his position defensively in three of the four factors (eFG%, ORB%, and FT rate) during his rookie year. To put this into perspective, it would take Dillon four seasons to do this.

Based on Memphis’ developmental track record, it stands to reason that expectations would be sky high for ‘Z’. Rather he liked it or not, or rather it was fair or not, his level of play began to right the narrative for him. Alas, every adventure is full of trials and tribulations and this story is no different. Between his rookie season and his sophomore season, the young man’s numbers either decreased or stayed the exact same in every statistical category except turnovers. The prodigal son’s fall from grace would extend the life of the Villain. No more. Brooks is gone and who better to replace him than his crowned successor from the previous season?

Attempting to reclaim ‘Z’ and his unequivocal talent is a choice that signals faith in their internal development. Will the Grizzlies succeed in their quest? Cannot predict now.

If you decide to claim the power of the ‘Magic Konch’ turn to #46…

‘You huddle up against a jumble of rocks, folding your arms around yourself to preserve what little body warmth you have. Now begins the long cold wait for dawn. Unfortunately for you, you made a serious mistake.’

I need you to know that this is actually how one of the books in the series ends. I’m not traumatized, you are.

Look, I love John Konchar… but a ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ book is neither the time or place to get ‘Jitty’ with it.

What ending will you chose for the Grizzlies?

Most likely none of the above. The Front Office has already stressed a willingness to be aggressive in their pursuit of upgrading this roster. Considering the most glaring hole on the roster is currently the starting small forward spot, odds are the Villain’s replacement will be acquired by Memphis off of a different squad as opposed to promoting in house. Now all eyes are on the Grizzlies, as the topic of replacing Dillon Brooks stands to dominate the summer. Which adventure will they choose?

Long as they avoid that last option…my complaining will definitely be kept to a minimum.