For many Grizzlies fans, the last week-plus of action is hopefully the starting point of the Grizzlies rerouting the direction of their season. The return of Ja Morant and Marcus Smart, a consistently elite defense, and offensive consistency in the second half of games has allowed the Grizzlies to win four straight. And at the very least, while some may still consider a playoff push unlikely, it is not far fetched to start to see the Grizzlies make a move up the standings in the near future.
As mentioned above, the reason for the Grizzlies recent success is having their offensive engine back in Ja Morant and adding Marcus Smart to what already is a top five defense in the NBA in December. The continued offensive evolution of both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane has been a welcome sight as well, along with the emergence of Vince Williams Jr. as a difference maker and legitimate wing rotation option. In other words, despite the Grizzlies overall record, the month of December has seen several positive developments occur for the team.
However, one area where the Grizzlies continue to struggle quite a bit is in the second quarter of games. The Grizzlies second quarter struggles are not just simply bad, they are historically awful. The Grizzlies currently have a -161 combined net point differential in the second quarters of games this season. Since 2000, only the 2018-2019 Chicago Bulls have had a worse combined net point differential in the second quarter of games in a single season (-174) through December 27th. Memphis has also been outscored by 10+ points in the second quarter of games 12 times so far this season, the most such occurrences for any team in NBA history through the first 35 games of a single season.
Memphis has only played 29 games.
Obviously, some things must change for Memphis to get better results. Getting some of the roster’s best talents back will certainly help, as with Morant and Smart back and hopefully soon Luke Kennard as well, the Grizzlies should have a more consistent offense. But finding the right lineups to feature and featuring the right talents at the right times are other ways to really make things better for Memphis in the second quarter of games.
A Ja Morant-Led Second Unit to Start The Second Quarter
Once Ja Morant returned, Taylor Jenkins was looking for creative ways to get Morant into the full swing of playing 35 to 40 minutes a night. One strategy Jenkins has used over the past week is taking Morant out of the game with around five minutes left in the first quarter and having him lead a lineup of reserves to start the second quarter. The logic behind this idea was to allow Morant to feast as the offensive engine for the Grizzlies second unit against opposing bench lineups.
On the surface, it may not seem like this idea has had good initial returns. In the four games with Morant back, Memphis has been outscored by its opponents by 47 points in the second quarter of games. This has included surrendering a 23-0 run to New Orleans and a 17-0 run to Indiana in the second quarter in his first two games back. However, digging a bit deeper reveals that the Grizzlies may have actually found a Morant led lineup that could give them the desired start they need in second quarters moving forward.
In Morant’s four games back, a lineup of Morant-Vince Williams Jr.-Ziaire Williams-Santi Aldama-and Xavier Tillman have played 15 minutes together with some very encouraging initial results. Eight of those 15 minutes occurred in the first four minutes of the second quarter in the games against Indiana and Atlanta. In that combined eight minutes of play, the Grizzlies outscored their opponents by nine points with this lineup.
Overall, this Morant-led lineup is shooting nearly 60% from the field, and a big reason why is because the other four players have been intelligent on using the space created from defenses focusing on Morant. For example, in the first clip above, Morant beat a potential trap and then initiated good ball movement around the perimeter to create an easy three for Aldama. In the second clip, Ziaire Williams did an excellent job moving on the perimeter to be an open option as Morant got into the lane. This allowed Williams to drive, and once the defense moved to stop him, he found Tillman for an easy two.
Williams, Williams Jr., Aldama, and Tillman provide multiple sources of support for Morant for this lineup to succeed. You have good corner three options, versatile defenders, and good finishers via lobs or paint passing. While this lineup is likely not one to extend past three to four minutes at a time, it has shown good results. And even with the sample size being small, Memphis should set a priority on any lineup that has produced ANY sort of positive second quarter results. Plus, with Morant leading four reserves, this allows for extended rest for Smart, Bane, and Jackson Jr.
Feature Des and the Defense Through the Middle of the Second Quarter
So if a Morant-led second unit can get the Grizzlies off to better second quarter starts, that means Memphis will then have Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Marcus Smart rested and ready to enter the game in the middle of the second quarter. Furthermore, Vince Williams Jr. could still be an asset for a few minutes while Morant rests. At this point, the Grizzlies will be able to feature the trio of Jackson Jr., Bane, and Williams Jr. along with Marcus Smart:
This image above from Cleaning the Glass shows how well the Grizzlies have played with Jackson Jr., Bane, and Williams Jr. on the court so far this season, especially on defense. And that would be the key for the Grizzlies with Smart, Bane, Jackson Jr, and potentially Williams Jr. to successfully navigate the middle of the second quarters. In their first game together, Smart and Williams Jr. combined for 10 “stocks” (six steals, four blocks) against the Pelicans. If the Grizzlies could combine that defensive impact on the perimeter along with Jackson Jr. and perhaps Bismack Biyombo defending the paint, the Grizzlies could rely on elite defense to limit teams as the second quarter progresses.
This could lead to good transition opportunities for Memphis, as well as the ability to gain an edge in overall possessions. On offense, the Grizzlies could rely on the improved self-creation of Bane and Jackson Jr. or the facilitation of Bane and Smart to setup good looks around the perimeter. A big benefit of the offensive improvements of Bane and Jackson Jr. combined with the addition of Smart was for Memphis to go through stretches of games where they could comfortably rest Morant. Though early season results may not have been too favorable, relying on the defensive upside of that trio plus Williams Jr. and others could lead to good results in short stretches.
In other words, with these particular non-Morant lineups, Memphis can thrive in creating chaos through defense like it did for much of the second half in the game against the Pelicans on Tuesday. A condensed version of that could be a good source of success to help improve play in the second quarter of games.
LET TRIP THRIVE
Perhaps the best way for Memphis to get better in the second quarter of games is to figure out how to score more consistently in the closing minutes of first halves. However, this is no simple task, as the Grizzlies have been outscored 55-23 if you combine the last four minutes of the first half of each of the four games Morant has played. In this specific portion of the game, the Grizzlies have significantly struggled to score while also also not being able to stop offensive onslaughts from their opponents.
However, one simple strategy could be featuring Jackson Jr. more as players from both teams start to get a bit tired before the half. And the numbers so far this season suggest Jackson Jr. is near his best offensively in the closing minutes of second quarters:
In the image above via Stathead, Jackson Jr. is one of the most effective scorers in the league in the closing minutes of the first half (this shows the best shot makers with four or less minutes left in the second quarters of games this season.) His ability to not only make shots but also draw fouls to get to the line is a good way for Memphis to keep scoring consistently even as players get fatigued. Furthermore, with Morant now back in the fold, and after resting for a bit in the middle of second quarters, a heavy dose of Morant and Jackson Jr. could be quite beneficial for Memphis. Not only could it lead to high percentage shots near the rim, but it could put opposing teams in foul trouble and lead to more looks at the line for Memphis.
For the Grizzlies to be at their best, good,consistent offensive chemistry between Morant and Jackson Jr. must exist. A good way to help that relationship to continue evolving is featuring it at a time where the offensive strengths of this duo can thrive as opponents get fatigued.
With the talent the Grizzlies now have available to them on their roster, they should no longer be historically bad in the second quarter of games. Leaning on the individual offense of their BIG 3 along with elite team defense being on display, the Grizzlies should see better results moving forward. And this does not mean Memphis must go from historically bad to historically good overnight. If that can just simply be below average in the second quarter of games, they can have more leads going into half time. And with the improved second half offense since Morant returned plus the elite overall defensive play as of late, the Grizzlies are a team built to play with a lead.
Time will ultimately tell if and how the Grizzlies will get better in the second quarter of games. Fortunately, with Kennard returning in the future as well, Memphis now has different lineup variations that can find success on both ends of the court to lead to better results.