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.