The Grizzlies returned GG Jackson and Scotty Pippen Jr. to the lineup last night while Zach Edey and Jake LaRavia remained out and were joined by Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells after their back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday night. With those circumstances, the Grizzlies ended their Salt Lake City Summer League play with an 80-77 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder as Scotty Pippen Jr. missed the game-tying shot.
With that performance, the Grizzlies finished their Salt Lake City Summer League slate with a 1-2 record. Their record in the Summer League doesn’t matter, just the play of their young guys who figure to be part of the current rotation and the team’s future. With that being said here are some takeaways from the Grizzlies’ three-game slate as they prepare to head to the Las Vegas Summer League on Friday.
(See https://bluffcitymedia.co/insider-insights-grizzlies-fall-in-overtime-to-the-home-cooking-jazz/ for Zach Edey and Jake LaRavia’s takeaways as they only played one game and it was covered there)
Bounce Back for GG Jackson
GG Jackson shot 0-10 from three and 4-8 from the free throw line in the Grizzlies’ 97-95 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday before resting in Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Granted that wasn’t the best display of shooting from him, a bounce-back game was expected from the now second-year pro.
He began last night’s performance by hitting his first three-point attempt and blew a kiss in the air afterward before ending the first quarter with 6 points on 2-2 shooting and 1-2 from the free throw line. That good fortune continued throughout the game as GG shot 7-14 (3-7 from three) to finish with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.
A lot was expected of GG to dominate the summer league but the truth is, it wasn’t a necessity. He proved his value on the team last season and remains one of the youngest players in the NBA at the age of 19 years old. The key for him is to continue to gain more experience in a role similar to what he will play on the main roster when the season begins. The main items he needs to clean up are free throw shooting and turnovers.
Jaylen Wells’ Turnaround
The second-round rookie draft pick got the majority of the overractions from the fanbase after his 1-9 shooting performance on Monday against the Jazz. However, a 27-point performance on 3-7 shooting from three, including a buzzer-beating shot to win the game against the 76ers, put him back in the good graces of the fans (word to Kendrick Lamar).
Summer League is about working on your game in a situation where you will be asked to potentially play on the main roster. Since Jaylen Wells was signed to a standard contract, more was expected of him out of the gate when in reality he was playing his first NBA game and just struggled with his shot as his defense was solid and he grabbed 7 rebounds in that game. Look forward to Jaylen Wells building on his previous performance as he continues to get acclimated to the NBA game.
Cam Spencer’s Consistency
After scoring 11 and 18 points, respectively, in his first two summer league games on 50% shooting (11-22) Cam Spencer had the fanbase questioning if the Grizzlies should convert his two-way contract already. His three-point shooting, in particular, played a part in that as he shot a combined 6-13 in those two games.
After coming off the bench in the Grizzlies’s first summer league game, Spencer notched a start in their second game and nearly put up a triple-double with 8 assists and 7 rebounds with only 1 turnover. It’s early but Cam Spencer looks like a player that will be able to stick around in the league for years to come.
Scotty Pippen Jr. making a case for the next promotion
Scotty Pippen Jr. arguably had the best performance in the Grizzlies’ first summer league game as he led the team in scoring and assists while tying the team lead in steals. Well, after shooting 8-14 in their first game, Pippen Jr. struggled for the majority of last night’s contest as he shot 1-11 to begin the game but made up for it defensively as he notched 5 stocks (3 steals and 2 blocks) in their defensive battle with Oklahoma City. Scotty made five of his next six shot attempts before finishing the game with 17 points and 5 assists.
Considering Scotty led the team in assists again last night, his playmaking along with his defense will give him a real opportunity to challenge for a spot on the active roster at some point next season. He continues to show that he provides value on the court in numerous ways.
Trey Jemison knows his role
The Grizzlies’ final two-way player was the only player on the roster who played all three games in Salt Lake City, including two starts. Coming off the bench in the Grizzlies’ first summer league game, Jemison only played 11 minutes and provided 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 block in expected limited action behind the number 9 pick, Zach Edey. However, his opportunity came when Edey missed the final two games and Jemison responded with 6 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block against the 76ers and 20 points and 7 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Trey Jemison is a hustle player (literally and figuratively) and showed a lot of what he showed in his stint with the Memphis Grizzlies last season. Expect more of the same from Trey Jemison going forward as he knows his role and will continue to develop in that role as he gets more reps.