When the Memphis Grizzlies take the floor tonight against the Houston Rockets, it will be a significant contest for both teams. Even early in the season, every divisional match-up carries weight. But this one is going to hit a little different.
For the first time, we will get to see Dillon Brooks try to defend Ja Morant as opponents. And while Steven Adams will not be playing against Memphis, his presence on the Houston bench will be a reminder of what was once upon a time.
This era of Grizzlies basketball - the Ja Morant, Taylor Jenkins, and Zach Kleiman era - has had numerous chapters at this point. There was the Jonas Valanciunas security blanket portion of the story, when the team needed help offensively as the core developed. The Tyus Jones part that served as Ja insurance.
There was the part that began before Morant, Jenkins, or even Kleiman (in his current role at least) arrived in Memphis that featured Dillon Brooks as the “star”. Hard as it may be to believe, the 2017-2018 Grizzlies looked to Dillon far more than they should have to be the “guy”.
So as time went on, and actual “guys” in Jaren Jackson Jr., then Ja Morant, then Desmond Bane were added to the roster throughout the rebuild, Brooks’ role changed. But what didn’t change was what Dillon saw as his role. He considered himself part of the “core” - with all the defensive intensity, unbreakable confidence, and flamboyant flaws that came with him.
Until, of course, he wasn’t. Memphis outgrew Dillon Brooks. And when he wasn’t willing to accept that (understandably, given how his time with the Grizzlies began), they went their separate ways.
But tonight those paths converge once more. Dillon gets the chance to exact revenge against an organization he surely feels wronged by. And Memphis probably feels that Dillon is misguided in those feelings - you can’t pay everyone. And Brooks got the money from Houston that the market dictated he was worth.
And between pissing off LeBron James and taking a plethora of ill-advised shots, it probably was more than what the Grizzlies were willing to pay anyway.
The Houston Rockets want the same thing that Memphis does. They are seeking postseason opportunity that very well may not be obtainable for both of them this season. So they’ll have to go through each other, and especially with Memphis in their current state with injuries the depth and talent of the Rockets may rule the night this time around.
And as Adams enters the rotation - and the Grizzlies see players come back off the injury list themselves - these two teams will likely continue keeping an eye on one another. Because there’s history there.
And the memory that remains of what was may flash every once and a while. For both squads are pursuing a future that may come at the expense of the other.
And when the dust settles, whatever those results are will indeed hit a little different.
