The Grizzlies have been decimated by injuries, starting with All-Star point guard Ja Morant being out for the year. Morant was averaging 25 ppg before going down after just nine games. Their second leading scorer is Desmond Bane at 24.4 points - he is also out. Marcus Smart, averaging 14.5 ppg is out and Luke Kennard, averaging 10.6 ppg, is “doubtful”. So four of their top five scorers will not be suiting up tonight unless Kennard can go. Also out is Ziaire Williams, who averages 7.7 ppg in 19 minutes and Derrick Rose at 8.4 points in 18 minutes.
Starting on the front line are Jaren Jackson Jr, 6’10”, 242, who is their best man standing at 21.9 points and 5.6 rebounds. Jackson was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year last season. However, his field goal and 3-point percentages are down from last year and his blocks per game have dropped from 3.0 to 1.6, possibly because opponents are more aware of his abilities. Santi Aldama, 7’0”, averages 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in his third season. Their other forward is Xavier Gilman, 6’7”, who in his fourth season is averaging 6.2 points in 18 minutes for his career and 6.0 this season.
The starting backcourt is 6’1” PG Scottie Pippin Jr, a second year undrafted free agent who has played in 10 career games, and forward David Roddy, a 6’4”, 255 pound second year pro with a career average of 7.2 points in 20 minutes per game. I don’t know if I’ve seen a 6’4” guy who weighs over 250 before.
In their last game they used an 8-man rotation. The bench consisted of 6’9” Matthew Hurt, who played in his first NBA game on Tuesday, 6’9” GG Jackson, who averages 8.3 ppg, and 5’8” Jacob Gilyard, a 25-year-old rookie averaging 3.7 points.
I’m not going to list the season stats for the Grizzlies since a lot of the players who generated those stats are out. I’m not even sure whether the Grizzlies will be suiting up more than eight players. Last game they only had eight players available, including one guy playing in his first NBA game, another in his 10th, another in his 15th, and another in his 31st.
The Cavs could not be catching them at a better time in terms of injuries. Normally the second night of a back-to-back on the road is likely to be a loss, but the Grizzlies are down to a skeleton crew at the moment and the Cavs are finally at full strength other than Thompson and Ty Jerome. That being said, the Grizzlies have some guys who are getting their first real NBA opportunity and will no doubt be busting a gut to try and show they belong up here and deserve more time.
The Cavs have an immense advantage in talent but the Grizzlies had two days off and some of them will be playing for their NBA futures. They know this is their chance to make a lot of money if they can show they can play at this level. Never underestimate a guy who’s been sitting the bench or playing the G League for a while and is finally getting on an NBA court.
Injury reportCLEVELAND
Evan Mobley - OUT (injury management)
Tristan Thompson - OUT (suspended)
Ty Jerome - OUT (ankle)
MEMPHIS
Steven Adams - OUT (knee)
Brandon Clarke - OUT (achilles)
Ja Morant - OUT (shoulder)
Marcus Smart - OUT (finger)
Desmond Bane - OUT (ankle)
Jake LaRavia - OUT (ankle)
Derrick Rose - OUT (hamstring)
Ziaire Williams - OUT (hand)
Luke Kennard - DOUBTFUL (knee)
Jon Konchar - QUESTIONABLE (ankle)
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