At the time I am writing this article, it is January 15th, 2024, the city of Memphis is submerged in nearly a foot of snow. The Memphis Grizzlies have just defeated the Golden State Warriors 116-107 in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day thriller from an iced-over FedEx Forum in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Except, it wasn’t the Memphis Grizzlies you’re thinking of. It was actually more like the Memphis Hustle, if anything. In a season that has brought the Memphis franchise much misfortune, it has also brought a few of diamonds in the rough stretch
The Grizzlies came into the season anticipating a 25-game suspension for superstar guard Ja Morant and the long-term injuries of Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke to be the worst of their issues. Well, they were wrong. The Grizzlies were immediately faced with injuries to Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard that kept them both sidelined for prolonged periods of time to start the season, which in return had the Grizzlies fall to a deflating 6-19 start to the season.
Fortunately, Ja Morant returned and delivered the Memphis Grizzlies a 24-point come-from-behind victory sealed with a Morant buzzer-beater. A breath of fresh air for the team seemed like a perfect start to a Grizzlies resurgence, and so it was. Until Morant was announced to be undergoing a season-ending injury on his shoulder, Smart was announced to have a severe finger injury that’d keep him sidelined for over a month, and Desmond Bane was announced to have an ankle injury that would keep him sidelined for at least six weeks before even getting re-evaluated. All the air that had been pumped back into the ball of hope for Memphis was suddenly flattened in the span of a week.
Within this time of darkness, there was light shining through the cracks on the surface. In an early-season matchup versus the Boston Celtics, the Grizzlies opted to play Vince Williams Jr. due to a shortened rotation and slapped the assignment of handling Jaylen Brown on his back as he headed off the bench. Williams Jr. at this time was a two-way sophomore who had only appeared in a total of 15 games his rookie season and averaged seven minutes of playing time in those few matchups. Most of Memphis was still unfamiliar with him and what he had to offer because he had spent the majority of his rookie campaign in Southaven, MS, with the Grizzlies G League affiliate, Memphis Hustle, gathering playing experience and knowledge after being a late second-round pick (47th) in the 2022 NBA Draft.
But now, despite being only a short distance from Southaven, he was a long ways away from the game he’d been playing there, he was now facing off against one of the best teams in the NBA and some of the best players they had to offer and he performed like it was nothing new to him. He held his own scoring six points in 17 minutes of action and held the primary responsibility of holding Jaylen Brown to 5-16 shooting, including 1-7 from deep and two turnovers. Many fans immediately noticed the impact of Williams Jr. off on the bench and slowly but surely he became a fan favorite and obvious point of emphasis for the franchise.
Fast forward to January 10th, in the midst of terrible injury news all around the team, Vince was converted off of his two-way deal to a three-year guaranteed deal with the Memphis Grizzlies as a full time member of the team. A testament of hard work from Vince Williams Jr. and also a testament of internal development by both the Memphis Hustle and Grizzlies as partners.
Five days after Vince Williams Jr. engraved his name into roster permanence, the team was met with their hardest battle yet. An MLK Day matchup versus a struggling Golden State Warriors squad that was trying to keep their heads above water as well. The Grizzlies had a nine-man depth chart going into the game, and seven of those guys were either current or former players for the Memphis Hustle. This led to the odds being heavily in favor of the Warriors, and for the internet to serve up a plethora of “Warriors better not lose to the Memphis Hustle” jokes. However, it was actually the “Memphis Hustle” that got the last laugh. Current and former Hustle players combined for 87 points, 35 rebounds, 19 assists, 8 steals, and 9 blocks as the Grizzlies stormed past the Warriors for a major upset.
The leaders of this charge were none other than 19-year-old rookie Gregory “G.G. (Good Game)”Jackson II and Williams Jr., as they absolutely controlled this game from A-Z. Jackson II has appeared in his first “real” matchups of the season over the course of the past few days, and while he has played other games this season, his minutes were limited to 12 or fewer and typically within garbage time, which is why I refer to these games as his first official tastes of NBA basketball.
On Saturday versus the New York Knicks, Jackson II erupted for a surprising 20 points (9/14 shooting), six rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in only 27 minutes of action. Then Monday, versus the Warriors, he proved it was replicable. The 6’9, 19-year-old phenom tore apart the Golden State Warriors for 23 points (6-9 FG, 5-8 3PFG), six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. You’re talking about a guy who should technically be in his freshman year of college and would be a projected lottery pick this summer, already torching one of the most prolific franchises in modern NBA history after spending the bulk of his time with the Hustle on the season developing his game. It wasn’t only Memphis noticing his impressive play; it was also put on notice for the whole world as G.G. introduced himself on National TV and was praised by Shaquille O’Neal postgame, where he couldn’t contain his excitement.
As mentioned, Vince Williams Jr. also provided an insanely good performance in the Monday matchup as well. Williams Jr. contributed 24 points on 6-11 shooting from the field with seven rebounds, four assists, one block, and two steals. Very, very solid numbers that are growing increasingly consistent for Vince as he continues to get comfortable and adjust his game at the league level. But what about some of the other guys who were or are products of the G League? David Roddy had 12 points, seven rebounds, and two assists; Santi Aldama provided 11 points and six boards with three blocks; and Jacob Gilyard (who is actively a two-way guard between the Grizzlies and Hustle) notched 11 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.
The Memphis Grizzlies have proven time and time again that they are consistently able to draft talent, especially in the second round, and help transform them. The Memphis Grizzlies, and especially the Memphis Hustle and coach Jason March, deserve an insane amount of credit for the way they have scouted and drafted these diamonds in the rough and ultimately coached, developed, and helped mold them into league-level talents. It has been very impressive to see these guys go from Hustle red to Beale Street blue and contribute at the highest levels. If you haven’t been keeping up with the Memphis Hustle, this is your official queue. Vince Williams Jr. has arrived, ladies and gentlemen, and G.G. Jackson is soon to be picking up his luggage from baggage claim right behind him. The only question we’re left with now is: Who could be next after them?
Shoutout to Memphis Hustle and Memphis Grizzlies.
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