Last week when the superstar Point Guard of the Grizzlies, Ja Morant, got undercut on an alley-oop attempt there was little reaction from the Memphis players themselves. Unlike when a star quarterback gets hit late and one of his offensive linemen sprints in to “give him the business”, there was not much anger. No sprinting and screaming and attempting to avenge their fallen leader.
That’s not to say that the players don’t care about Morant. They’d be pretty foolish not to. But there’s no denying that the Grizzlies Public Relations department had more bite defending Morant than the players themselves.
You don’t want people to be something they’re not. The currently healthy Memphis Grizzlies simply aren’t that type of aggressor, for a variety of reasons - youth, inexperience (although Zach Edey is pretty aggressive in his own way), etc.
But do not worry, Grizzlies fans. The “dawgs” are coming back.
Starting with Marcus Smart, whose impending return to the Grizzlies rotation could come as soon as tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers, will help a lot. Smart has been through the proverbial wars a time or two. Over 100 postseason games played against the likes of LeBron James and plenty more NBA stars. And in countless situations, when physically pushed, Smart pushed back - and responded physically.
If Smart had been on the floor, Morant would’ve had more direct back up. And that initial “push” perhaps would’ve motivated the younger, less confrontation-inclined Grizzlies to step up and make it known that such an act - even if the officials weren’t going to say anything - wouldn’t be allowed to stand so easily.
And if Vince Williams Jr. - currently on pace to return not too long after Smart does later this week - had been on the floor, he maybe would have beaten Marcus Smart to the spot to be first to defend Morant.
Here’s a guy who is on record saying he wants to do the “dirty work” for these Grizzlies. Rebounding? Sure. Defending the most dangerous offensive weapon for the opposing team? No problem. Williams Jr. is an underrated part of what this Memphis team can be. He has the mentality that any coach wants in a player.
A mentality that Marcus Smart can probably look at and see a lot of himself in.
Eventually playoff basketball will arrive. And hopefully the Memphis Grizzlies will be back in the postseason, competing at the highest level. Another thing to hope is that Ja Morant (and Desmond Bane, who also “stands on business” when it comes to conflict) are on the court trying to get Memphis to advance to the next round.
The next time someone comes at the “king” of these Memphis Grizzlies - injury or no injury - hopefully he will have the back-up that won’t miss by his side. And by their example, a team that is built for depth and movement will roll deeper, and be about that action, more than they were last week against the Lakers.
