The Memphis Grizzlies are defining how to use the G-League
It may just change the game...at least their game
NOTE: THIS WILL BE THE FINAL POST HERE ON “WRITTEN IN THE DARK”. STARTING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1ST, MY GRIZZLIES-SPECIFIC WORK WILL BE FOUND OVER AT BLUFF CITY MEDIA. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING PART OF “WRITTEN IN THE DARK” - IF YOU ARE A SUBSCRIBER, YOU WILL BE SENT AN EMAIL MONDAY AFTERNOON ABOUT JOINING ME/US AT BCM. SAVE 10% ON AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION USING THE PROMO CODE “MULLINAX”. SUBSCRIBE HERE.
The MVP of the last two games for the Memphis Grizzlies - one a close loss on the road to an NBA Finals contender, the other a blowout win at home over another NBA Finals contender, is a player who two months ago was not dressing with the Grizzlies.
He wasn’t injured. Or away from the team due to personal reasons. He had been “demoted” to the G-League’s Memphis Hustle because he was not actively a member of the team’s rotation at that time.
He wasn’t good enough. But this past Saturday, he most certainly was.
The professionalism of Tillman is pretty evident. Here’s a player who was not “too big” for a G-League assignment, who looked forward to a chance to play and work on his game. There are no substitutes for live reps, and the Memphis Grizzlies franchise appears to understand that as well - if not better - than any team in the NBA.
Spencer Davies of basketballnews.com wrote about Tillman’s G-League journey earlier this year, and this part of the piece - a quote from X - really stands out.
“So being in a Hustle game allowed me to just play and play in a real game. So when I got my opportunity called — like now due to injury — I was ready to go and ready to help the team in all ways.”
These opportunities really shined through for X during his most recent G-League stay.
Here’s a 5th big in an NBA rotation who at the 2022 Summer League played in three games and average 10 points a game on 44% shooting alongside three rebounds in 20 minutes a game after starting playoff games for Memphis. While it is difficult to make sweeping observations on a Summer League performance, you usually want to see supposed NBA rotation players dominate on that level when the times comes.
X did not do it. And that was cause for concern. As was his “demotion” to Southaven to the G-League Hustle. If Santi Aldama had passed him by as Memphis’ 4th big, what Grizzlies future existed for Tillman Sr.?
But instead of going to coaches or front office personnel to complain, X went to work. And the benefits are clear. In two recent games against the two best centers in the NBA - Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic - Tillman has limited them both. Embiid was an inefficient 7-25 from the field. Jokic had the aforementioned remarkably-low 3 assists.
The reigning MVP averages a triple-double. But in large part because of Tillman, he was nowhere near that - and the Grizzlies blew out the Nuggets at home Saturday night.
Perhaps the viewpoint of the Hustle being a “demotion” - although that is quite literally what it is except for Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Vince Williams Jr., the two Grizzlies two-way contract players - is to blame. There are only so many spots in an NBA rotation, and with the Hustle playing games only 40 minutes away from Southaven the Grizzlies organization sees that team as more than just a G-League affiliate.
From John Konchar to Tillman, Memphis now has numerous examples of players who spent notable time with the Hustle and then showed improvement when their NBA opportunities came to pass. Santi Aldama saw significant G-League run last season when Kyle Anderson was a key cog in the Memphis rotation. Now, his name has been called and the Grizzlies 2nd-year player appears likely to be around the Memphis playoff rotation this spring.
The hope is for this to continue to occur as the next generation of Grizzlies role players develops. From Kennedy Chandler, to Jake LaRavia, to the aforementioned two-way players…only David Roddy has largely avoided long-term stays in the G-League among the five Memphis rookies on the roster. And even when Roddy has been in Southaven, he has shown an ability to dominate that just isn’t possible when logging minutes alongside the likes of Ja Morant.
Instead of these young players riding the NBA bench, or playing too much and playing a lot of losing basketball like, say, the Houston Rockets, they’re getting to experience success. They get live run in similar schemes that they are asked to execute with the Grizzlies.
And in the case of Tillman Sr., they’re staying ready. So when Grizzlies Head Coach calls his number, he doesn’t need to get ready.
Will the system work for the likes of Ziaire Williams, who had been with the Hustle for a stay since February 6th and just recently was recalled for the Grizzlies? Time will tell - he hadn’t been sent for such a long stay before, and a shock to the system like that for an NBA Lottery talent could be a hit to the ego.
But the precedent has been set by guys like Konchar and Tillman Sr…and Ziaire may well follow suit.
Jenkins was quoted as saying before the Grizzlies-Nuggets game that Ziaire had been taking advantage of the assignment, and that the 24 point, 11 rebound showing Friday night was perhaps the best game he had seen Williams play. But it wasn’t just Jenkins that witnessed that showing. It was Ja Morant, and other members of the roster. It was Zach Kleiman and other Grizzlies Front Office members who keep tabs on what is going on with the Hustle. Because of this, a player like Ziaire that is struggling at the NBA level has a better chance to be a “late bloomer” than a “bust”.
It empowers young players to take ownership of their growth - as long as they’re willing to admit that growth is needed.
It’s more than just a side team. It’s a life line to the future - an insurance policy for if an injury happens to the current key Grizzlies. And a plan for what comes next, as money gets tighter and instead of veteran minimum players pieces that have been part of the Memphis puzzle for years can simply be slid in to position.
The Grizzlies development system succeeding isn’t an accident. They invest - time, treasure, effort - in to seeing it grow. And the types of people making up the organization buy in to why that matters so much.
It makes all the difference.
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR BEING PART OF “WRITTEN IN THE DARK”. STARTING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1ST, MY GRIZZLIES-SPECIFIC WORK WILL BE FOUND OVER AT BLUFF CITY MEDIA. - IF YOU ARE A SUBSCRIBER HERE ON SUBSTACK, YOU WILL BE SENT AN EMAIL MONDAY AFTERNOON ABOUT JOINING ME/US AT BCM. SAVE 10% ON AN ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION USING THE PROMO CODE “MULLINAX”. SUBSCRIBE HERE.