With Dillon Brooks back and the playoffs looming, the Memphis Grizzlies face a big problem.
The second-best team in the NBA now welcomes the return of one of the top five players on the team, Brooks, who played in just 21 games for Memphis before returning and improved both offense and defense. The Grizzlies have been below average. Horizontal half-court defense.
Over time, however, the domino effect will be something to watch. The return of Brooks may also bring other players, different roles in different roles.
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Brooks is a very good defender who can also be good on the ball. If the goal is to limit the opposing team’s top scorer, there’s no better option than putting him on the court. Doing so, however, would result in reduced minutes for Ziaire Williams, a growing rookie since returning from injury.
Williams is young and immature, and cutting minutes won’t really hurt him. The training at this stage is more than enough for long-term planning. However, the return of Brooks might push Ziaire out of the playoff rotation. Given the championship plan, it’s not impossible.
During last season’s playoff series once morest the Utah Jazz, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins implemented a nine-man rotation. Seven spots are already locked (unless injured or out of favor) – Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams, Tyus Jones and Brandon Clarke.
In addition to these seven players, you can also imagine De’Anthony Melton, a versatile guard on the roster. According to statistics, in addition to being a pressing defensive player, he is also an excellent rebounder. While he’s not top-notch offensively, his defense does offset his woes on offense.
That’s a little disrespectful to John Konchar, but unless it’s garbage time, he probably won’t make the playoffs (unless Melton or others are underperforming, or the team is particularly problematic on the rebound). So who’s the ninth man – Kyle Anderson or Ziaire Williams? The answer is not as clear as you might think. They’re giving Taylor Jenkins a big headache as the playoffs loom.
The answer might be Anderson. Because, Anderson is one of the Grizzlies’ most senior members. He played the fifth-most minutes for Memphis in last year’s playoffs. Jenkins trusted him and valued the versatility he offered.
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He’s a defensive stalwart with a great record in steals and hot pot, and he’s a very good rebounder as a forward (according to Clean the Glass, he’s outperformed 94 percent of forwards). ). On offense, he remains a significant contributor to the team — his assist percentage of 16.2 percent ranks above the 87th percentile among forwards. He’s been doing what he’s good at — defending multiple positions and being a player in scoring.
But we also have a big question, why are the Grizzlies more efficient when he’s not on the floor? Of the players who have played at least 500 minutes this season, only Konchar has a lower PER (Xavier Tillman’s numbers are even worse, but he’s only played 430 minutes this season). Anderson is continuing with most of the things he’s good at, but his impact on the win isn’t as big as it used to be.
Could his 3-point shooting correct for a return?
Anderson is basically refusing to shoot 3-pointers right now. Last season, Kyle’s offense recovered a bit. He shot 35 percent from beyond the arc. The overall hit rate is 36%. While still below the overall NBA average (44th percentile among forwards), it’s better than his performance since the 2016-2017 season. In the 2016-2017 season, he attempted just 35 3-pointers, and in the 2020-2021 season, he made a whopping 258 3-pointers.
But as of this season, Kyle doesn’t do that anymore. His shooting percentage dropped to 33 percent, but the real problem was that his attempts also dropped. Only 23 percent of his shots are now 3-pointers. Among forwards, he’s only outperformed 8 percent of his field goal attempts, and only 10 percent of his attempts come from corner 3s, where he actually shot 17-for-38 from the field.
What’s going to happen in the playoffs? There’s definitely a plan to block Ja Morant and ignore Kyle Anderson, who doesn’t shoot much outside the perimeter. While Anderson and Adams can be safe on the boards together, that’s not a good reason. Kyle usually plays at small forward when paired with Desmond Bane, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., but he has only won 6 percent of them in the entire NBA.
According to basketball-reference.com, he plays small forward only 10 percent of the time for the team. So it’s going to be a tough decision whether to play Anderson or play Ziaire, who has 54 percent of his perimeter shots and isn’t that mature.
The problem isn’t just 3-pointers
Anderson doesn’t just need to work from the 3-point line. In it, he turned in his worst field goal percentage since his rookie season. On all 2-point attempts, Anderson is in the 19th percentile with 46.4 percent. His shots at the rim are dismal (58 percent, 27th percentile), and his mid-range shots aren’t great (36 percent, 36th percentile of all mid-range shots).
His shots are close to average between 4 and 14 feet, but have major problems beyond 14 feet. When you compare those numbers to his performance last season, the difference is stark.
On top of that, his free throws have also degraded. His 78 percent overall shot last season was nearly 16 percent better than Anderson’s current 62.2 percent. At the same time, Ziaire Williams is able to shoot more consistently in these areas than Anderson. Williams shot only 24 percent at the rim, but he shot 82 percent from the field and 46 percent from mid-range.
In addition to the dramatic drop in scoring efficiency, the way he scores has also changed. He relies more on assists from the mid-range to score rather than creating his own chances. His assist percentage was only 43 percent last season, and now that number has risen to 56 percent. He’s still very aggressive in creating offense for others, but his own performances are also more dependent on those around him and not as efficient as they used to be.
Will Kyle Anderson’s place in the playoff rotation be threatened? This is an interesting question. Anderson provides everything required when signed by the Grizzlies — above-average defense and effective offensive assist — while also continuing to be an excellent rebounder. But his scoring efficiency has plummeted, and depending on the lineup, neither him nor a better fit will be available.
Steven Adams and Anderson playing together would limit the Grizzlies’ offense. Anderson and Brandon Clarke probably won’t be on the floor together for similar reasons. If Anderson is more of a big man than a forward at this stage, he’ll be the fourth big man behind Jaren Jackson Jr., Adams and Clarke.
If Anderson is to stay in the nine-man rotation, he’ll have to play No. 4 or even No. 5. Likewise, his minutes at small forward might be reallocated to Ziaire Williams. But since he’s only 6-foot-8, Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ziaire can provide the size and size Anderson has, and they’re more willing to shoot and will improve with time and frequency.
To be sure, the Grizzlies have trade-offs. Anderson makes it easier for his teammates to shoot, and he has a lot of experience guarding some of the NBA’s best players. This is more important in the playoffs than the row game.
However, the team still did better when he wasn’t on the floor. And their halfcourt woes are more pronounced as Anderson’s scoring efficiency drops, and he’s unlikely to fix them either. At the moment, only Ziaire Williams seems to have the means to do it.
Kyle Anderson has more playoff experience than any other Grizzlies player. This experience is important, and it may also influence Taylor Jenkins’ final decision. The team’s future pillars — especially Ziaire — are also in need of playoff experience. After all, following Anderson becomes a free agent, only Ziaire Williams can replace him.
After all, will Kyle Anderson be reused? Only time will tell.
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