Though the Grizzlies didn’t have the most wins in December (Nets), they owned the league’s best net rating (+9.2), largely due to their front-running defensive rating of 104.4.
Similar to last season, this group’s calling card is their staunch defense that makes it emphatically challenging for the opposition to get prime shots and second chance points. In December, Dillon Brooks drew challenging assignments and executed admirably. We saw glimpses of defense chops from guys like Big Body Roddy and Konchar. Jaren and Steven held down the paint and made it arduous for other teams to get to the cup. All of this culminated in a masterful defensive month for the Grizzlies.
For the first time this season, we were privy to the standard starting lineup of Morant-Bane-Brooks-Jackson Jr.-Adams. A few interesting takeaways developed during the 49 minutes that they shared the court. This group shot 32% from three, earned 11.65 steals per 100 possessions, they got to the rim consistently (45% of attempts) but converted poorly at the cup (50%). Surprisingly, this was not a lineup that blocked a lot of shots, but they did have the highest steal rate among high-minute lineups along with a defensive rating of 91.7!!!
Since it was a special month, I decided to swerve from the normal cadence of weekly power rankings and look at the month of December as a whole.
Behold, the Grizzlies December ‘22 Power Rankings
1. Dillon Brooks
As previously mentioned, Brooks was the lynchpin of the defense in December. His assignments ranged from SGA to Zion to Middleton and he never backed down. He continues to be one of the most versatile wing defenders in the NBA.
Dillon also made a solid impact on the offensive end of the court. He was third on the team in assists (2.8) over the month-long stretch. Brooks was third with a plus -6.79 in the fourteen games and averaged 17.4 points per game on an eFG% of 50.9. You may have noticed an upgrade in shot selection for Brooks as well. He attempted 65% of his shots at the rim or beyond the three point line – the highest rate on the team. For the season, he is attempting 44% of his shots from three point land, which is an 8 percent increase from his career average. The amount of shots that DB is taking is not decreasing, but he’s taking more quality threes and letting the game come to him a more than in the past. This also means fewer frustrating shots – but don’t expect those to completely go away.
2. Ja Morant
The increased three point percentage that we witnessed from Ja at the outset of the season appears to have been a mirage. He shot 24% from three in December, but nearly averaged a double-double with 25 points and 9 assists per game. The gravity that he creates cannot be understated. The aforementioned open Brooks’ threes are largely made possible by Morant. In addition, Ja collected a couple of triple-doubles in this time frame. It’s crazy that we have gotten to the point as a fan base where we have come to expect that from him on some frequency. We don’t bat an eye at the six 30+ point performances that Ja collected in December. He truly is a treat to watch on a nightly basis.
3. Jaren Jackson Jr.
When Jaren is on the court, and not riding the bench with foul trouble, he is as impactful as any player in the NBA on defense. Jackson was a plus -7.23 for the month, which was good enough for second on the team behind Konchar (the plus/minus king). The Grizzlies were two points better than their already impressive average with Jaren on the court (102.89 DRTG). He averaged 14.7 points, 3.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game in December. That’s 4.3 STOCKS! He converted on threes at a 36% clip, which is slightly above league average, a mark I can live with.
The Grizzlies are not incredibly reliant upon the three point shot, so just being able to convert at an average rate across the board would go a long way.
4. Steven Adams
Stevo is that dude. He continues to be the rock down low (when rebounding or posting up) and up top (setting screens and distributing). Jaren may get most of the love for his multitude of swats, but Adams is collecting bodies at a solid rate as well. He blocked 1.5 shots per game while also slotting in at 4th on the roster in assists (2.3 per game) last month. Adams has an uncanny knack for hitting the cutters on their way to the rim. Half of his assists were to diving teammates for at least a bucket a game. This ability is especially helpful when the perimeter defense is focused on denying Morant the ball by playing him tight, creating additional space for supplementary guys to benefit from Steven’s adeptness for assisting.
I haven’t even mentioned the 10.67 rebounds (4.75 offensive) that Adams collected. The most impressive part of this number is that half of his total rebounds are contested – which was good for fourth in the league in December. Those above him include Domantis Sabonis, who he totally big-brothered on NYD.
5. Brandon Clarke
BC has shown a remarkable return to form over the past few weeks. He is settling back into his role as a dive man and highly-efficient lob threat. It is apparent he is not and won’t be a floor spacer, but he is currently providing substantial value to the Grizzlies by giving Morant someone to pass to over the top of defenses.
Clarke converted at an incredible 83% clip at the rim with over half of his shots coming in the restricted area. Seventy-five percent of his attempts at the rim were assisted (read: lobs). He is performing his bench role admirably and reliably, collecting the 7th most minutes and making the most of that time with 12 points and 7 rebounds per game in December.
6. Tyus Jones
The Grizzlies backup PG played consistently throughout the month of December, even earning him a top spot in my previous power rankings. Overall, he averaged 9.6 points and 5 assists per game and played solid minutes for Memphis per usual. He converted on 39% of his threes and Memphis had a DRTG of 102.89 with Tyus on the court, which is quite impressive. Tyus was very active on that side of the ball and more than once served to provide some buffer in the backcourt to fill in gaps that arose from Morant’s not always great (that may be a friendly way to put it) defense.
7. Santi Aldama
The timing of Aldama’s injury is really a bummer because he was starting to hit his stride and seems to be developing into one of the more consistent outside shooters on the team. He started out the season super cold from deep, but splashed in 46% from three in December. He is going to get his if he continues to convert at a solid clip from there. Ninety percent of his threes last month were of the catch and shoot variety. Ja, Tyus, and Dillon know where Aldama is on the court and the ball is finding it’s way to him, helping him earn a very respectable 10 points per game in Dec. His defense is also underrated, both from a team and individual perspective he averaged .85 blocks per contest over the month as well.
8. John Konchar
The plus/minus king led the Grizzlies in steals in December at 1.3 per game. Sometimes the best ability is availability, which John has had.
9. Desmond Bane
The All-Star hopeful’s return to the lineup has left much to be desired. Though he scored in double figures in four of his five appearances, he did it on a very sad 32% from the field and 18% from three. One sliver of hope can be found in the fact that the Grizzlies full-time starting lineup was plus-32 in only 49 minutes together across those five games.
10. David Roddy
The Body is starting to come into his own. The numbers don’t fully show it yet, but he has played some tough defense in his minutes recently – including stepping in for the foul-laden Dillon Brooks against Zion. He moved his feet well and stayed in front of the train of a man from Nola.
11. Ziaire Williams
Since his return from injury, Ziaire has looked, well…not very good. He got consistent minutes for most of the month from the coaching staff – likely in the hopes that he would shake off the rust. However, he has not looked like many fans assumed he would in his second season. Granted, he is coming back from injury, but in the next 10-20 games you would like to see some improvement, or Z may struggle to find minutes come playoff time.
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by nwatkins364
