July 8, 2016, Las Vegas, NV – Friday afternoon the Memphis Grizzlies dominated the D-League Select team in the first game played in the Thomas & Mack Center in the 2016 NBA Summer League by a 99-79 count.
Afterwards, head coach David Fizdale was all smiles with a sense of relief just getting the first game over. And, for all intents and purposes it was over after the first period.
The Grizzlies ran out to a 26-16 advantage after one quarter and were never seriously threatened, leading by as many as 33 points in the second half.
Majority owner Robert Pera got a courtside view of two athletic and dynamic guards in Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin IV. Harrison drove to the hoop at will, racking up a dozen free throw attempts, converting them all. Baldwin struggled with his shot (4 of 13), but his reach and tenacity resulted in four steals. The SEC duo combined for 37 points, seven assists and six steals and just generally made their teammates better.
The activity level from everyone wearing a Grizzlies uniform was very high, resulting in good ball and player movement. While there was much to be encouraged by, there was one number on the stat sheet that troubled Fizdale. “Turnovers,” he said when asked about the prime area of improvement for Saturday’s game against Denver. The Grizzlies committed twenty while forcing twenty from D-League Select. Considering the Grizzlies have only had a handful of practices, that number isn’t terribly surprising, but Harrison’s five miscues took some luster off what was otherwise a noteworthy performance.
TIP INS:
- JaMychal Green, who is playing the unfamiliar role of “old man on the team”, registered a whopping +20 in 17 minutes of court time. Afterwards, he was all smiles in praising Fizdale’s system: “Much, much faster.”
- Memphis Tiger alum D.J. Stephens made an favorable impression, dropping in a couple of triples while generally being a high-activity player en route to eight points. His fellow former Tiger, Shaq Goodwin, sat until the final moments and cashed two free throws.
- Three of the five Grizzlies starters registered a +/- of 20 or better: Green (+20), Baldwin (+22) and Alabama product Levi Randolph (+28), who showed good skills around the rim.
- Alex Stepheson, who played for the Grizzlies briefly last season also started.
- Jonathan Holmes, an athletic 6’9” forward was in high-energy mode off the bench, racking up a game-high nine rebounds and 14 points.
- Summer League is like an extended family reunion: among those on hand, former Grizzlies assistant Andy Greer (now with Minnesota), Sacramento assistant coach Nancy Lieberman, ESPN basketball analyst Amin Elhassan, Chicago Bulls radio broadcaster Chuck Swirsky, and former Grizzlies assistant GM turned ESPN salary cap expert Tom Penn.
The Grizzlies return to action Saturday at 5 pm PT/7 pm CT against the Denver Nuggets. -- Pete Pranica
Follow Grizzlies TV Play-By-Play Announcer, Pete Pranica on Twitter @petepranica and on Instagram @petepranica. Stay tuned as Pete shares his perspective on the Grizzlies' performance at 2016 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas right here on Grizzlies.com.