- The Grizzlies will need to rely on the leadership of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. going forward with Dillon Brooks likely to depart in free agency, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. “Des is a cornerstone, very significant piece of this group,” GM Zach Kleiman said. “I think he has an opportunity going forward to really establish himself as a key driver, key leader in this group. … I think he’ll have an even bigger opportunity to be a heart-and-soul-of-the-group kind of guy going forward.”
Celtics guard Marcus Smart has won the NBA’s Hustle Award for 2022/23, the league announced in a press release (story via Brian Martin of NBA.com). The 29-year-old also won the award last season, becoming the first back-to-back winner, and has now been the recipient three times in the past five seasons.
This is the seventh season for the Hustle Award, which was created in ’16/17, Martin notes. It is a merit-based award reflective of NBA.com’s hustle stats, including charges drawn, loose balls recovered, deflections, box outs, screen assists and contested shots.
The top-five finishers for the award, in order, were Smart, Warriors forward/center Draymond Green, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and Pelicans forward Herbert Jones.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a look at the best guards available on the 2023 free agent market and their potential landing spots. Pincus thinks a team with cap room might try to pry restricted free agent Austin Reaves from the Lakers with a large offer sheet, but he thinks L.A. will ultimately match.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic, who used to work for the Grizzlies and was part of the front office that drafted Dillon Brooks, believes the small forward can still be a positive contributor for a number of teams as long as he can toe “The Line” between “competitive and crazy.” Teams over the cap but below the luxury tax line could offer the impending free agent the full mid-level exception, and Hollinger points to the Bulls, Hornets, Mavericks, Kings, Trail Blazers and Hawks as clubs that could use defensive help on the wing. As for teams with cap room, the Pistons, Rockets, Pacers and Jazz might be interested in Brooks if they miss out on pricier targets, according to Hollinger.
- UConn guard Jordan Hawkins has been invited to the NBA draft combine, which takes place later this month, according Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Considered one of the best shooters in the 2023 class, Hawkins is a potential lottery pick, currently ranked No. 13 on ESPN’s big board. As Zagoria previously reported, Hawkins will be joining a couple of his teammates (Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo) at the combine.
One reason why the Grizzlies informed Dillon Brooks they won’t re-sign him this summer was a disconnect between the two sides over his role on offense, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Brooks’ usage rate increased each year during his first five NBA seasons, all the way up to 28.8% in 2021/22, but dipped back down to 21.8% in ’22/23, his lowest mark in four years. The comments the veteran forward made in his end-of-season media session over the weekend indicated that he wasn’t thrilled by that role reduction.
“I don’t think I lost any thing on the offensive end,” Brooks said. “I was just there to three-and-D, shoot and play defense. I got way more to my game than that.”
Of course, Brooks’ personality – both on and off the court – was also a major factor the Grizzlies considered when they made their decision not to re-sign him. As Cole writes, Ja Morant, head coach Taylor Jenkins, and general manager Zach Kleiman all expressed a desire to tone down on the trash talking going forward, while Brooks said he had no regrets about his own comments, telling reporters, “That’s who I am.”
Here’s more on Brooks:
- Despite an unceremonious end to his time in Memphis, there’s expected to be a market for Brooks in free agency this summer, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. One general manager who spoke to Deveney suggested that Brooks’ price before his stock crashed might have been something like $54MM over three years — now, he could be a mid-level target for over-the-cap clubs. “There will be tax teams hoping to get him in on a one-plus-one deal—come to us, we have a good culture, help us win, clean up your reputation, and then go back on the market next year,” the GM said. “He’ll be in demand.”
- During an appearance on ESPN’s Around the Horn, Ramona Shelburne suggested that Brooks’ asking price on his next contract is – or at least was – $25MM per year (Twitter video link). Given the context, it’s unclear whether that’s solid info or merely speculation on Shelburne’s part — either way, it’s almost certainly an unrealistic goal.
- The breakup with Brooks is just the start of what will be a difficult offseason for Kleiman, writes Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Within that story, Giannotto asserts that the Grizzlies weren’t the source of Tuesday’s leak to Charania, since it wouldn’t have made sense for them to say they wouldn’t re-sign him “under any circumstances.”
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca takes a look at what went wrong for Brooks in Memphis and considers what the marketplace for him will look like this summer.
The adage that defense wins NBA championships certainly didn’t prove true for the Grizzlies and Cavaliers, who were quickly eliminated from the playoffs after finishing the regular season with the best defensive ratings in the Western and Eastern Conferences, respectively, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. As Hollinger points out, both teams actually played good defense in the first round but struggled on the other end of the floor, finishing ahead of only Brooklyn in offensive rating in round one.
The Grizzlies were hurt by playing multiple non-shooters – the Lakers gave plenty of space to Dillon Brooks and David Roddy – and missed the presence of Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, who could have grabbed offensive rebounds and generated second-chance points.
As for the Cavaliers, while Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland bore the brunt of the blame for the team’s offensive struggles, the team got very little from its frontcourt starters (each of whom averaged single-digit points per game) and from its reserves, Hollinger notes.
Hollinger explores ways in which the two teams could make roster upgrades this summer, suggesting that the Grizzlies will face a decision on whether to sacrifice some youth in order to acquire a reliable veteran or two. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, should have the cap flexibility to re-sign Caris LeVert and use their mid-level exception without surpassing the tax apron, and could shop Cedi Osman and/or Ricky Rubio for wing upgrades, Hollinger writes.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has updated his top-100 big board for the 2023 NBA draft, moving UCF’s Taylor Hendricks all the way up to No. 6, Michigan’s Kobe Bufkin up to No. 11, and G League Ignite forward Leonard Miller to No. 13.
- A panel of ESPN writers, led by Brian Windhorst, breaks down the 2023 World Cup field, observing that Team USA ended up with a pretty favorable draw, while Group H (headed by France and Canada) looks like the proverbial “group of death.”
- A separate group of ESPN reporters, including Dave McMenamin, Ramona Shelburne, and Tim Bontemps, participated in a discussion about the playoffs so far, identifying their early postseason MVP (Heat star Jimmy Butler), debating which injury will have the biggest impact on the rest of the playoffs, and naming their dream conference finals matchups.
- None of them are still alive in the postseason, but rising stars Anthony Edwards, Ja Morant, and Zion Williamson are the top three picks in a hypothetical “23-and-under” mock draft conducted by James L. Edwards, Tim Cato, and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Evan Mobley, Jaren Jackson, and Tyrese Haliburton were the next three players off the board.
The Grizzlies told veteran forward Dillon Brooks this week that he won’t be brought back for next season “under any circumstances,” league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Brooks is in the final year of his current contract, so he’ll become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Although Memphis holds his Bird rights, which give the club the ability to re-sign him without requiring cap room, team officials informed Brooks of their decision during exit meetings. The two sides agreed that it would be best for both to have a fresh start, Charania writes.
Brooks, 27, is considered a strong perimeter defender, but has become an increasingly erratic shooter, making a career-worst 39.6% of his field goal attempts in 2022/23. His three-point percentage dipped to 32.1% on 5.6 attempts per game during the last two seasons after he converted 35.3% of 4.5 threes per game in his first four seasons, all with the Grizzlies.
On top of his offensive struggles, Brooks’ outsized personality and aggressive playing style have gotten him into trouble both on and off the court. He received three one-game suspensions this season, once for an on-court altercation with Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell and twice for accumulating so many technical fouls.
Brooks’ performance during the Grizzlies’ first-round loss to the Lakers was considered to be a breaking point, according to Charania. Brooks referred to Lakers star LeBron James as “old” following Memphis’ Game 2 win, suggesting the NBA’s all-time leading scorer was well past his prime.
He was then ejected from Game 3 for hitting James in the groin, surrendered a pair of key baskets to LeBron in a Game 4 loss, and was eventually fined $25K for declining to speak to reporters after three games of the series (all losses). Offensively, Brooks shot just 31.2% from the field and 23.8% on three-pointers across six playoff games.
Memphis made contract extension offers to Brooks earlier in the 2022/23 league year, but they were turned down, which resulted in those discussions being shelved, Charania writes. The 27-year-old will now enter the open market after making $11.4MM this past season.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, will have to find a way to replace Brooks’ presence on defense, which won’t necessarily be easy. They’ll presumably be seeking a player who can approximate Brooks’ defensive impact and make three-pointers at least at a league-average rate while creating fewer headlines and providing less bulletin-board material when speaking to reporters.
Grizzlies center Steven Adams didn’t play after January 22 due to a knee injury, but the team is hopeful he’ll be ready to go in October, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets.
“The target for Steven Adams is to return at the beginning of next season,” Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said. Adams signed a two-year, $25.2MM extension last offseason that kicks in next season.
We have more on the Grizzlies:
- Dillon Brooks didn’t have any trouble talking to LeBron James during the first-round series but he got fined by the league for not talking. He was docked $25K for violating league rules governing media interview access, the league’s communications department tweets. The fine stemmed from Brooks’ failure to participate in team postgame media availability during the first round.
- Brooks did meet with the local media on Sunday and expressed no regrets for trash talking, including called James “old,” Cole reports. “No, that’s who I am,” Brooks said. “I don’t regret it. I’m a competitor. I compete.” Kleiman was noncommittal on Sunday when asked about Brooks’ future with the franchise. The veteran forward is an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Regarding that issue, Mark Giannotto and Cole believe it’s best if the Grizzlies let Brooks walk. Both Commercial Appeal reporters feel the club should re-sign Brooks only as a last resort after exploring many other options to upgrade the wing spot.
- What should the Grizzlies do this offseason after their first-round flameout? Yossi Gozlan of Hoops Hype and Bobby Marks of ESPN both explore that topic, including how much Desmond Bane could receive in an extension.
Memphis’ season came to a screeching halt on Friday night as the Grizzlies were thoroughly lambasted by the Lakers in the sixth and final game of their first-round series, losing by 40 points. Head coach Taylor Jenkins referred to the No. 2 seed’s early exit as “the ultimate wake-up call,” as ESPN’s Tim MacMahon relays.
“Are we going to really understand that it’s the preparation and the offseason, the preparation in the season?” Jenkins said. “It’s what you do at work, off the court — clearly, there are things that we’ve got to control and just embrace it together. How are we going to support each other throughout all this stuff?
“This is a journey that you go through from the start of the season to the end of the season, and it’s not supposed to be easy, any of it. So are we going to take it lightly and take it for granted or we going to take a real hard look at the mirror?”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Star point guard Ja Morant acknowledged that his off-court behavior — which included an eight-game suspension in March due to a gun-related incident, among several others — negatively impacted the team this season, MacMahon adds in the same story. “I’ve just got to be better with my decision-making,” said Morant, who finished with 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting in the blowout defeat. “That’s pretty much it. Off-the-court issues affected us as an organization pretty much. Just [need] more discipline.”
- Morant also took accountability for his “I’m fine in the West” comment from earlier in the season being used against him now, notes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). “I don’t mind. I said it. I’ll deal with it,” Morant said.
- For the third time in the series, all after losses, forward Dillon Brooks refused to speak publicly after the game. He left the locker room before the media was permitted to enter, tweets MacMahon. Brooks, an unrestricted free agent this summer, was up to his usual trash-talking antics early in the series after evening it at one game apiece, calling LeBron James “old” and saying he was past his prime. Obviously that came back to bite the Grizzlies, as the Lakers went on to win three of the next four games.
- Injuries to key players like Morant (hand), Steven Adams (knee), Brandon Clarke (torn Achilles), and Luke Kennard (who missed Game 6 with shoulder soreness) certainly were a factor in the series, but the team’s lack of maturity and attention to detail were arguably bigger issues, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today makes a similar case, writing that Memphis’ biggest offseason goal should be “growing up” emotionally.
Grizzlies sharpshooter Luke Kennard will miss Friday’s pivotal Game 6 against the Lakers due to left shoulder soreness, the team announced (via Twitter).
The veteran guard had been listed as questionable, though he didn’t take any shots while media members were present during Friday’s shootaround, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Head coach Taylor Jenkins later said Kennard was “still dealing with some soreness” and was a game-time decision, but obviously he has now been ruled out (Twitter link via Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group).
It’s a big loss for Memphis. Kennard, who led the league in three-point percentage (49.4%) for the second consecutive season, sustained a stinger in Wednesday’s Game 5 and exited the contest early. He initially sounded optimistic about his chances of playing tonight.
The 26-year-old’s counting stats through five games in the first-round series are modest: 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game. However, he’s shooting 50% from deep, and the attention he draws has been key for the Grizzlies — they’re plus-16.7 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the court, versus minus-12.8 when he’s off, per NBA.com.
As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes, Dillon Brooks, Tyus Jones, John Konchar and David Roddy — who have all been struggling behind the arc — could be candidates for more playing time with Kennard sidelined. Jenkins also said Ziaire Williams may receive a look, according to Cole, though the second-year wing has played just two total minutes in the series.
The Raptors have been granted permission to interviews a number of prominent assistant coaches for their head coaching job, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
Toronto parted ways with Nick Nurse, who coached them to a championship, after the season. The Warriors‘ Kenny Atkinson, Bucks‘ Charles Lee, Suns‘ Kevin Young, Spurs‘ Mitch Johnson, Kings‘ Jordi Fernandez, Grizzlies‘ Darko Rajakovic and Heat‘s Chris Quinn are among the assistant they plan to interview. However, that list could expand.
Lee is one of the top candidates for the Pistons’ head coaching vacancy. Atkinson, of course, was previously the Nets’ head coach.
The Raptors will also look at ex-NBA head coaches, as well as NCAA and WNBA coaches. Regarding the latter, they have gained permission to speak with former Spurs assistant and current Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon. She led the Aces to last year’s WNBA championship.
As previously reported, they are also expected to interview current assistant coach Adrian Griffin.
Luke Kennard‘s health could be a key element in the Grizzlies’ aim to win their series against the Lakers after trailing 3-1. Kennard injured his left shoulder in the second half of Game 5 but he provided an optimistic update after Memphis’ win. Game 6 is scheduled for Friday night, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“I just got a stinger out there,” Kennard said. “Getting it looked at (Thursday), trying to find out a little more, but it’s all good right now.”
With Dillon Brooks struggling with his shot and the Lakers sagging off him, Kennard has proved to be a better offensive option, Joe Vardon of The Athletic notes. He’s shooting 50 percent on 3-pointers and 52 percent overall in this series.
“Luke is one of the best shooters in the league,” Ja Morant said. “Obviously that opens up a lot of space on the floor and we just play off that.”
We have more on the Grizzlies:
- Desmond Bane racked up 33 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Game 5 and made a de facto guarantee that the Grizzlies will win Game 6 on the Lakers’ home floor, Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays. “We got to come with the right edge and the right road mentality, but I said it out there and I’ll say it again,” Bane said. “We’re going to be back for a Game 7 in front of the best fans in the NBA.”
- While there’s no indication he’ll be replaced if the team flops in the first round, coach Taylor Jenkins is under pressure to show he can be successful in the postseason. Cole and Mark Giann0tto of the Commercial Appeal examine that topic.
- In a subscriber-only story, Chris Herrinigton of the Daily Memphian examines how the Game 5 victory could propel Memphis the rest of the series, including the fact that Morant and Bane are hot offensively at the same time.