Insider Insights: Grizzlies End NBA’s Longest Skid with Win Over Rockets

Due to a Scottie Pippen Jr. back injury and Jacob Gilyard being inactive to preserve his two-way roster eligibility (three games remaining) Luke Kennard re-entered the starting lineup with John Konchar, Vince Williams Jr., Santi Aldama, and Jaren Jackson Jr. and they got the Grizzlies off to an early 6-0 start. Luke Kennard then made three straight three-point shots to extend the Grizzlies’ good start to 15-7 on 5-7 shooting from three as a unit. The Grizzlies used that hot start to fuel a 36-point quarter as they led 36-21 to end the first quarter after a buzzer-beating shot by Ziaire Williams.

a 3 pack early from @LukeKennard5 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ikrEAQ1Vx0

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 15, 2024

The Grizzlies continued their run to begin the second quarter as Derrick Rose, Ziaire Williams, and GG Jackson II all contributed to the Grizzlies extending their lead to 46-23. However, a 26-8 Rockets run closed that gap to five points before back-to-back baskets by GG Jackson II and Santi Aldama put the Grizzlies up 58-49 to end the first half. In his return from a one-game suspension, GG Jackson II led the Grizzlies in the first half with 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Bruh we might need to put GG in a Time Machine and drop him in the GNG era with the Core 4. 😂

— Savage (@MSavage901) February 15, 2024

The Rockets used a 10-0 run in the middle of the third quarter to close their deficit to 75-74 before a Vince Williams Jr. steal and foul turned technical foul by Dillon Brooks held them off from taking the lead. The Grizzlies used those three made free throws by Vince to hold their lead for the rest of the quarter ending with them leading 84-81.

The Rockets completed the 23-point comeback by taking the lead early in the fourth quarter at 88-87 but Jaren Jackson Jr. made a three-point shot to spearhead a 20-9 Grizzlies run to put them back in front by double digits at 107-97. That spurt was enough for the Grizzlies to hold off the Rockets and end their nine-game losing streak with a 121-113 win.

Now on to the main takeaway:

Vince Williams Jr.’s Recognition

When the initial NBA Rising Stars roster was announced on January 30th, Vince Williams Jr. was not included to the surprise of some. Since he has been allowed to be in the rotation consistently, his play has been rising star-worthy but his early season hiatus on the bench (Did Not Play in 8 of Grizzlies’ first 12 games) was probably a factor in that. Add in the Grizzlies’ struggles this season to his out-of-rotation experience until December and it makes some sense of why he was not originally selected.

However, his rising play had been noticed as he was the first player to be added to the Rising Stars roster as an injury replacement for New Orleans Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels on Monday before the game against the Pelicans, and deservedly so. Vince has been probably the brightest development for the Grizzlies this season with all the injuries surrounding the team and he has continually added to his game. At first, it was his defense and rebounding, then he provided consistent shooting, followed by additional playmaking.

rising star type beat ⭐️ 😂 pic.twitter.com/5c5lvOoDTJ

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 15, 2024

Entering last night, in the 15 games he had played since he signed a four-year contract with the Grizzlies, he averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 steals on 49.6% shooting from the field and 41.7% from three. That is as Rising Star-worthy as it can get for a second-year player who was the last second-round draft pick of a team that drafted four players total in the same draft.

Taylor Jenkins had this to say about Vince Williams Jr. after his Rising Stars nod on Monday: “From his rookie year to now you can see how much he has risen. It’s phenomenal seeing the developmental opportunities and he’s a true example of a rising star, making the most of his opportunities right now early in his career.”

Last night, Vince Williams Jr. continued his rising performance with a near triple-double with 12 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals in a matchup against the guy he is partially replacing in Dillon Brooks. Vince has one last game tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks before he gets to showcase his talent to the world on Team Tamika in the Panini Rising Stars mini-tournament on Friday at 8:00 PM CST on TNT.

Vince Williams Jr. to Dillon Brooks pic.twitter.com/sc0bHlA8ae

— Parish Sharkey (@DaOne_PShark) February 15, 2024

Start/Stop/Continue

CONTINUE playing GG Jackson II and Vince Williams Jr. together as much as possible. Good things happen when those two share the court and it showcases a glimpse into the future for the Grizzlies’ main bench unit to begin next season when everyone returns from injury.

Grizzlies will go from having a bottom five bench to a top five bench in one season and it’ll be centered around two second-round picks. Wild.

— myke (@NBAMyke) February 15, 2024

Coming Up

The Memphis Grizzlies finish their pre-All-Star break schedule tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 PM CST.

Final Quote

“Feels good to win. NBA players hate to lose. We had to really back in and get down to our principles and luckily it paid off.” – GG Jackson II