2015 Training Camp

admin

training-camp-day-5-photos

Training Camp Day 5: Photos

Santa Barbara, CA - The Memphis Grizzlies closed out their last practice of the 2015 training camp on the campus of UC-Santa Barbara Saturday morning and prepared to board their charter flight back to Memphis.

Overall, head coach Dave Joerger was pleased, saying, “By and large, I would give them a 92 or 93 out of a hundred this week.”

He was reticent to single out players for exceptionally high performance, admitting, “it’s always easy to pick the new guys. I thought Brandan Wright had a good camp. JaMychal Green has been really good the last three days. I thought Tony Allen gave a lot of juice to the gym. I think that’s really good. We need that stuff.”

Joerger also noted, “Courtney Lee has been very aggressive, which we need offensively. He had a real good summer and it looks like it’s paying off right now.”

There’s a pre-season game looming on Tuesday against Houston at FedExForum, but Joerger isn’t focused on that, instead taking a longer view of the process.

“I’m going to try and ignore the game on Tuesday. We need to get better on Monday, try to get them better on Tuesday. We’re trying to build this thing slowly, not skip steps, staying in the fundamentals.

“We’re going over stuff over and over – for a reason, not just for the new guys. No, we’ve got guys that need that refreshing and I think I’d be remiss as a coach if I skipped steps.”

The first steps have been taken. Time to head back to Memphis.

petes-perspective-final-day-of-training-camp

Pete’s Perspective: Final day of Training Camp

Eric Hasseltine takes you inside Training Camp in Santa Barbara and brings interviews with some of your favorite Grizzlies players.

Day 5: Vince Carter | Day 4: Mike Conley talks about camp and shoe game free agency | Day 2: Eric catches up with Brandan Wright. | Day 1: EH goes one-on-one with Marc Gasol.

2015-training-camp-podcasts

2015 Training Camp Podcasts

2015-grizzlies-training-camp-coverage

2015 Grizzlies Training Camp Coverage

Santa Barbara, CA - When you look at the 2015-16 edition of the Memphis Grizzlies, there are the mortal locks: Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley will be in the All Star conversation, Tony Allen will be in the mix for First Team All Defense accolades, the Grizzlies will be among the league leaders in paint scoring and defensive efficiency.

Then there are the X factors: Can Matt Barnes provide some “three and D” on the wing? Can Courtney Lee shoot a consistent 40% from the arc? Will Vince Carter give the Grizzlies the deep threat they’ve coveted for years? Will the Grizzlies remain healthy?

One X factor that is flying just below the radar is the play of JaMychal Green as a backup to Zach Randolph.

Undrafted coming out of Alabama in 2012, Green was part of San Antonio’s summer league roster in 2012 and was brought to camp, only to be waived. Green shuttled between the Spurs and their D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros (now Spurs) that season and again during the 2014-15 season with a quick Clippers stop and a 2013-14 season in France.

Last season, the Spurs signed Green to a 10-day contract in January, but didn’t sign him to a second, allowing the Grizzlies to acquire him. The Grizzlies signed the D-League All Star to a pair of 10-day contracts and then a multi-year deal in March.

With Jon Leuer off to Phoenix, the backup power forward position looks to be Green’s to win. “He’s probably our most athletic guy,” said Dave Joerger earlier this week. Assistant coach Elston Turner added, “He can run, defend pick and rolls and jump as high as anybody on the team.” Among other upsides, Turner noted “his attitude – extremely coachable.”

Green made an impression at the Orlando Summer league, dropping ten points in just 5:31 of court time against Charlotte. His summer campaign was cut short by a stomach virus. Now, completely healthy he says, “I know I have to come in and play with the same intensity. I played well in summer league and I just need to do the same thing in training camp.”

“He’s a utility guy,” says Joerger. “Make a shot now and then, get an offensive rebound now and then, make an energy play. Those kind of things over the course of a season can help.”

The soft-spoken Green has a high motor and good work ethic and understands that he now has a chance to be a contributor on a team with title aspirations.

Green knows exactly what the coaching staff wants from him: “I gotta go out there and hustle, make the hustle plays, dive on the floor, rebound, block shots, knock down open shots when I have them.”

He’s not a prototypical stretch four in that he doesn’t shoot the three ball and in some cases may play some small forward. That said, he does have decent range out to fifteen feet or so. While relatively slender (listed as 227 pounds on a 6-9 frame), he’s capable physically of battling for rebounds underneath and protecting the rim.

Every great team has role players and Green could fill a very big role as an energy and hustle guy, adding length and athleticism to the Grizzlies while giving them more options with their lineups.

petes-perspective-training-camp-day-4

Pete’s Perspective: Training Camp, Day 4

training-camp-day-4-photos

Training Camp Day 4: Photos

Santa Barbara, CA - Once opponents in a state championship game, Marc Gasol and Brandan Wright are now teammates trying to share a championship instead of wresting it away from their adversary.

The record shows that Wright’s Brentwood Academy team beat Gasol’s Lausanne Lynx in that title game. In fact, Brentwood won four straight state championships – a Tennessee first.

Since that game, their paths have diverged: Gasol to Spain to play in the ACB before being drafted by the Lakers and subsequently traded to Memphis; Wright was drafted by Charlotte, then traded to Golden State after one season at North Carolina.

Gasol has been an All Star twice while Wright has dealt with his share of adversity: limited playing time, an injured shoulder that shelved him for the entire 2009-10 season and a frequent trade piece. Since starting his career with Golden State, he’s been with the Nets, Mavericks, Celtics and Suns.

Statistically speaking, his best years were as a Dallas Maverick with their high-powered offensive game that stressed transition and easy scores. While in Dallas, Wright once blocked seven shots in a single game.

Wright, bolstered by familiarity of playing for his home state’s NBA team and a relationship with fellow former Maverick Vince Carter, has blended quickly into the Grizzlies team.

When asked who has impressed him most in this camp, Gasol answers without hesitation, “Brandan Wright, somebody I really like. He brings a different dimension to what we do. He will help us a lot.”

Wright is listed as 6’10”. He’s thinner and slightly shorter than Kosta Koufos, Gasol’s previous backup. Wright is a strong competitor and what he lacks in bulk on the post, he makes up with quickness and positioning. He figures to be an excellent rim protector and will give the Grizzlies some extra speed and length off their bench.

Gasol, and the rest of the Grizzlies, hope that Wright and Gasol can lift a trophy together this June.

Related Podcast: Eric Hasseltine goes one-on-one with Brandon Wright

petes-perspective-training-camp-day-3-2

Pete’s Perspective: Training Camp, Day 3

training-camp-day-3-photos

Training Camp Day 3: Photos

none

<a href="https://fedexforum.com/arena-policy-updates" target="_blank">CLEAR BAGS ONLY: FEDEXFORUM NOW REQUIRES CLEAR BAGS FOR ALL GAMES &amp; EVENTS!</a>