Come on on this episode of the Heat Check.
It's time to check in on the most surprising team of the NBA season, folks. Yes, r it's the Memphis Grizzlies. This has been coming a long time. I've been wanting to talk about them since. Really, they've been one of the most surprising winning teams since they lost Jaw. Yes, the Grizzlies lost Jaw, and they're actually playing better and they're not dead. They're not dead by a long shot. Instead, they're the hottest fucking team in.
The league right now. Yes, and I'm going.
To dissect like a like a doctor. Why so, go ahead, Rock and drop that motherfucker. John Morant went down with what I think many people thought might be a season ending knee injury. Everyone, including every pundit, wrote off the Grizzlies. The season might not be over for Job, but the season is over for Memphis because at that point they were ten and eleven, nine and ten, ten and eleven,
I think. And if they go on that streak or worse, say they go two and ten, If he misses to twelve games where they go three and seventeen, you're done. That's night night Jaw comes back and he's doing his best Derek Rose impersonation in his prime, or Steph Curry. He's trying to be Batman. Probably re injures himself, get shut down for the year, and then that's that's it.
I think that's what kind of people thought because Jaw was at that point when they were ten and eleven, balling twenty four, six and seven, led the team to impressive wins. They had a lot of dumb losses, but their wins were super impressive. They beat the Calves, they beat the Clippers, they beat the Warriors, they beat the Nuggets, and they beat the Jazz. And he was impressive in ways that we discussed a couple of weeks ago.
When he got hurt, right.
Like, he was co leading the league in points in the paint sixteen points in the paint per game, tied with Anthony Davis, who is six'.
TEN i guess it's just Like.
Alan iverson, type fearlessness and, bounciness like a guy who everyone said coming out of college wouldn't be big enough or bouncy enough to do those things and get to.
The rim in THE.
Nba so when he went down with that, injury it was just night Night but here's what people didn't, Realize like The grizzlies have been building in one of the more unique ways in THE, nba in a way that's not built pifically For, jaw but to Support. Jaw, YEAH i mean it's a unique thing because no other teams really, like for, Example Damian.
Lillard Damian lillard has a team.
That without him would crumble And Taylor jenkins and this franchise knows That jaw can be, special but he can't do.
Everything and we should have seen this coming Because.
Grizzlies fans knew it and they talked about it actually preseason that The grizzlies are, athletic they are super, deadly super, dangerous and they had a couple of players that were very, underrated low under the, radar players that were.
Ready to break.
Out De Anthony melton And Desmond, bane two guys that no one expected jack shit from last year and a lot OF nba fans don't even know their name. Now so we talked about him last year on this league as players to, watch but it seemed like Only grizzly fans were really less BECAUSE i was getting a lot of, heat like Fuck Desmond baan he's. Bulky he's just a spot up. Guy like he's just all. Shoulders he's like
a Shorter Dwight. Howard he's not even that. Good BUT i, mean so this is what The Drew hill at The Daily memphis sion what a name of a. Newspaper When memphis Traded Grayson allen To milwaukee this, summer it was a bet That melton And bain would continue to get better.
In more expanded.
Roles, literally the reason that they traded away annoying ass but also highly Productive Grayson, allen who is now bawling out In, milwaukee by the, way is because they wanted to find and free up more touches For melton And,
bain like guys that are largely role. Players and as good as De Anthony melton has, been, Really Desmond baine has been electric Memph if this Coach Taylor jenkins was clear from the beginning that even Though bain And morant complimented each other, Well Desmond bain has been playing spot, minutes taking over now That jaw's not there and he is has been. Incredible but he also Said Taylor jenkins that their developments were not correlated or tied Together Desmond
bain is his own human. Being he's not here to be the outlet pass To. Jaw he is his own, guy and he is a. Star Desmond bain was slowly evolving into a player in his own right While jaw was becoming a.
Superstar and this is exactly.
What bain said after game, one after game one of this season last, YEAR i didn't want nothing to do with the. PAINT i was strictly a catch and shoot, guy and THEN i would get into transition every once in a. While but coach has given me more, freedom and we've worked tirelessly on this all off, season So
i'm now more comfortable there for. SURE i don't know IF i can properly articulate how hard it is for a head coach who Has Jah morant to think about ways to Develop Desmond, Bane like it's JUST i, mean you've Got jaw and the fact that your, head your mind has any real estate For Desmond bane and how to develop him and how you see him as a piece of, clay and you're, like, man he's not just.
THAT i think he could be this and THIS i think is like maybe two coaches in THE nba or that, way like most of them are, like, Hey, Gary Trent, junior you sit there and stand in the corner For, Dame like.
It's like fucked.
Up it's literally, like, hey you'd be a statue over. There just be someone who can be basically like a, robot perfect form catch and shoot guy When dame has no other option but to do that because they crowd the pain around. Him that's crazy to not just throw all the eggs in The Jaw moran, basket but to make things like a like a, quilt like in a way the patch people's game seamlessly together and squeezed the most potential out of every other person that they.
Have But jenkins didn't just put all the eggs into.
Jaw jenkins also worked to develop not Just, bame but De' Anthony melton and Also Jaron, jackson who's a star sixteen four and one right, Now Jaron jackson And Dylan, brooks who a most scout Said Dylan brooks had alligator.
Arms Dylan brooks.
Was not applauded or lauded going into the, draft LIKE i love, HIM i think he's. Gritty even me would not have taken him in the first. Round he was a second round. PLAYER i think he was taking forty fourth, overall and people were, like, OH i think.
That's a, reach and it's not a.
Reach and now Rookie Zire williams and Even Tias, jones who was filling in At jaw in The jaw at the, point is having a.
Career year as, well eleven four and. Seven so his thought process.
Was to develop a team and not to develop a superstar and compliment him with a bunch of statues around the perimeter and maybe a rim. Protector like imagine If portland Or washington would have done this With John wall And Bradley, beal, Like, hey we're gonna give you a bunch of. Scrubs just make magic for. Us wizards like
make magic for, us like. Wizards and so When jaw went down with the knee, injury that hard work ended up paying off because those guys got additional minutes and they got additional roles To it's Like jah can't save. You like when it's crunch, Time, desmond it's your time to. Shine and that provides you with opportunities to develop.
Confidence and become your own.
Player and because of, That grizzlies Went we're nine and ten at that, point and they Since jah has gone, out they've been nine and, one.
Only lost one game Since jaw went down nine and.
One they went from tenth in The west to fourth in The west during that. Time that includes wins Over, dallas The, Lakers eastern powerhouses Like miami And, philly and even a win Against, houston who at that point was the hottest team in. Basketball so do not do not throw shade at That houston win like that could have easily been AN. Ol they Beat Oklahoma city one hundred and fifty two to seventy.
Nine if you need to.
Go to mas school to figure that. Out that's a seventy three point. Victory that's an all TIME nba, beatdown literally the biggest beat down IN nba. History they're blowing teams, out The kings by twenty, seven The heat by, fifteen The lakers by, thirteen The sixers by thirty.
Five are you?
Serious, like how are we not talking about The Memphis grizzlies and only The Memphis grizzlies right? Now like they are fucking lit and people are finally figuring out that The grizzlies are more than Just John. Morant i've been wanting to do this piece for a, while but there's been pressing. Items but now just this, week they're a whole bunch of article that have come, out all basically saying the same, thing The grizzlies are.
Elite here's another, headline how The grizzlies are playing their best ball Without Ja.
Morant another headline The grizzlies are grinding more than ever Without. Jaw three reasons why The Memphis grizzlies are an ELITE nba team in twenty twenty. ONE i, MEAN i hate the three, reasons LIKE i don't give me this BuzzFeed, list like be, better please be? Better so why the
question is? Why first of, all turnovers are way. Down jaw's probably his biggest flaw is that he turns the ball over a ton ALMOST i think a little more than three point times a. Game and Because jaw's not on the, floor The grizzlies haven't been turning the ball over at. All no shade To, jaw but that's just the. Case,
second they're clamps right. Now they're. Clamps grizzlies defensive rating in their last nineteen games of the seaton their first nineteen games of the season With jaw was dead, last dead, last out one to fifteen point, one and the next best or next, WORST i guess you could, say wasn't even. Close the next closest team was a eleven point.
Six that's. Gross they were so trash at that.
Point i'm thinking to, myself why did you even Trade Yonis valanciunis if you don't give a fuck about defense at, All, like aren't you supposed to be Getting Steven adams for his? Defense and they were dead last the last ten. Games grizzlies are now check, this that out number one in the league with a defensive rating of ninety nine point, eight the only team under one hundred in that period of.
Time they're even better right now in that stretch Than Golden, state who is by far the best defensive team in.
Basketball it's.
Insane here are two more incredible stats than. That grizzlies are currently number one in blocks per game and block, percentage number one in steals per game and steals per defensive possession from worst place to first place in ten. Games and it's not about Jaw like a lot of that came Because Dylan brooks came. Back brooks did not come back into the lineup Until jaw was already. Injured Dylan brooks has been. Grinding Dylan brooks is what makes
this team go. Offensively The grizzlies are averaging two point one more points a game Without, Jaw, like this is a guy who is number one co leading points in the paint and this team is still Without jaw number one points in the.
Paint that's.
Incredible here's WHY i think, though that this is something.
That you can rely on moving. Forward One Jared.
Jackson people didn't think he deserved his contract one hundred and five million.
DOLLARS i think he. Got they's, like, oh he's got an ugly.
Shot he's two, injured he's coming off of a aniscus.
Tear he almost MISSED i think over half of last season and now this.
Year he's taking six and a half threes per, game making almost forty percent of.
Them that's.
Elite he's running off screens like a, wing shooting off of movement like He's Anthony.
Davis he can shoot.
Outside and because he can shoot, outside then you've got defenses that need to close on, him which they can't really even contest because he's seven feet. Tall they've got to close it on him, quicker which that means cross slash, dunk and he's able to attack the. Rimp why because he's like probably one of the, best if not the best big man that can handle the. Rock memphis is
plus eleven point nine with him on the. Floor he's top five in THE nba right, now elite defense wise because he's top five in THE nba and block rate.
At six and a half.
Percent so Since jaw went, Down Jaron jackson has put up twenty one and five with forty one percent from. Three and when people ask, him, like, hey why he's so good right, now he was, like, hey, uh when you get, home why don't you have yourself some?
Water it tastes. Good i'm a huge water.
Guy so.
The reason Why.
Jaron jackson is so good is he's just been increasing his water. LEVELS i GUESS i just need to drink more water and then Maybe i'll be seven feet tall and shoot forty percent from. Three number Two Desmond bane actually a. Star like guys don't know who he. Is people will be talking about. Him Sports center watch out for The Desmond baines segment in the next ninety.
Days off ball three and d. Guard he slipped to thirty in the, draft.
Coaches was, saying, oh nice, kid, big big shoulders out OF tcu Horn. Frog he's exploded on both ends of the. Court bain's usage has gone up from sixteen point one percent to twenty two percent this. Year even with, Jaw memphis is letting him attack off the dribble more. Often he's also a mid range. Monster he's kind of like DeMar derozen If Demartin rosen actually shot threes and was. Thicker he's, like he's a thick, Boy like he is
a big. Kid if you look Up Desmond bain and you don't know who he, IS i, mean he looks like a football player and he's still shooting forty percent from three on nearly seven threes a.
Game like he just stole. Him they stole. Him why Didn't portland get? Him they stole.
Him Dylan brooks maybe the most underrated player in the. League also somebody WHO i think would have been great In. Portland he's maybe the best on ball defender Besides Drew holliday in THE, nba and he's taller Than drew when he's on the floor of the team has a net rating of ten point. Four they have one hundred and thirteen offensive rating and one hundred and two defensive. Rating
when he's off the, Court it's fucking. Gross the offensive rating goes from one hundred and thirteen to one hundred and, nine and their defensive rating goes from one hundred and two to one hundred and, eleven which is a net rating of negative.
Two.
Gross Dylan brooks made that makes this shit. Go, fourthly this team is. Deep Xavier tillman super. UNDERRATED i barely even spoke about. Him killy And tilly probably the Only Gonzaga kai that you could even like say is contributing right now outside Of. Sabonis but, like Is sabonis really? CONTRIBUTING i, mean, Really, isy if they're not even calling him a star in A, INDIANA i, mean, like, really what are we?
Doing Steven. Adams Steven adams.
Is actually doing what they said he was supposed to, do like veteran, presence toughness that valentunis, like Like valentinis will give you, Twenty but do you need twenty when you Got Desmond baine And Xavier tillman And Dean Anthony melton And Killian tilly And jaw And.
Tias, Jones, like, no you don't need.
Offense this team needed defense And Steven adams has been crucial for. Them, also we Got John conkar who's been valuable as.
Well Tias. Jones Tias jones is maybe one of.
The most underrated backup point guards in the. League he has the best assist to turnover ratio in THE nba for the last three years. Running this year he has one hundred and nineteen assists to twenty one.
Turnovers that is.
Disgusting that's nearly that's that's a ratio of six to. One, like that's some. Shit that is like How houseway how their number two team in scoring in the. PAINT i poo Pooed valenttis, Trade but you know, What Like memphis is second in THE nba in points in the paint at fifty three point, six just Behind San. ANTONIO i thought Losing valentnis would impact them, negatively but it. Hasn't
Like Steven, adams they're. Better but also you've Got, Jaw you've Got Jaron jackson leading in points in the paint as, well And Steven. Adams they're Like Steven adams defensive rating right now is one oh nine this, year which would have put him in the top fifteen in.
THE nba last. Year so why then aren't we talking about? HIM i don't.
Know you should be, afraid, though you really should be afraid Because jaws coming. Back how DO i Know jaw's coming? Back because he's speaking In spanish On. Twitter he's literally, SAYING i think a couple more Days oonparadas and then an hour glass emoji and A ninja emoji with two. Swords he's coming and before Skipping shannon are like next On? Undisputed are The grizzlies actually better Without Jahn? Moran should they pursue a trade With Ja morant For Ben. Simmons,
no they're not better Without Ja. Morant But jaw is. Coming jaws coming, Soon and, that my, friends should scare everyone because without, them without, him they're a top four team in The west and a top eighteen in the league with.
Him fuck who? Knows who?
Knows maybe when we Watch Golden state Play memphis in the play in last last, year we weren't watching two teams struggling just to get into the. Mix we were watching two teams emerge as maybe two of the best teams in the entire, association and that's cool like going from bottom to the top in a matter of twelve. Months that's something that All Sad, Orlando Magic Portland trailblazers And suns fans can get.
Behind that's all the time that we have for The Heat.
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