The timing of starting center Steven Adams’ season-ending surgery — 72 hours before the Grizzlies’ 2023-24 regular-season opener — not only reinforces a defensive efficiency that might experience some drop-off but it brings other offensive questions to the surface once again, mainly usage and playmaking proficiency.

Advertisement

With the roster as currently constructed, it’s an uphill task replicating the production Ja Morant brings. For the first 25 games of the season, Memphis has a 34.9 usage rate previously held by Morant and the near-All-NBA imprint he had — 26.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists (highest-ranking guard outside of the six on the three All-NBA teams) — to distribute. But off the heels of a strong campaign and a max extension, most of the offensive shouldering will fall on Desmond Bane.

Prior to training camp, the fourth-year guard spoke about “shared responsibilities” and having “multiple playmakers” on the floor, comparing this first chunk of the new season to last year when he was either spearheading the second unit sans Morant or when Morant was away from the team. When head coach Taylor Jenkins speaks about playmaking and ball handling, it’s clear he has a committee approach in mind as well.

“Different guys in different playmaking spots,” Jenkins said last week. “When the ball is moving side to side, we’re getting secondary actions, collapsing the defense, making the right reads..try to be in simple attack mode situations. Trying to keep those guys focused on making simple moves, efficient reads.”

Jenkins’ words track with what has been on display thus far. During the Grizzlies’ preseason, we’ve seen a few different lineup combinations but as it pertains to how Memphis wants their playmaking duties distributed, there are a few constants.

Newcomer Marcus Smart only appeared in the Grizzlies’ final preseason game but for the most part, Bane has always shared the floor with either Derrick Rose or Luke Kennard, flanked by one of Memphis’ litany of small forwards. (A few weeks ago, I wrote about difficulty penciling a starter out of the David Roddy/Jake LaRavia/Ziaire Williams group but it seems like the latter has edged out the others for the final spot. Jenkins has praised the third-year forward’s attention to defensive detail and his aggression with the ball in his hands, two areas that had been stressed to him as areas for improvement.)

Advertisement

Shifting focus back to Bane, we know the bulk of replacing Morant’s offensive output boils down to him, no matter how egalitarian Jenkins hopes Memphis’ offense will be. Morant led the league in pick-and-roll possessions during the 2022-23 season (12.8 per game, per Second Spectrum) and was quite efficient in doing so (63rd percentile). By comparison, Bane logged just 3.4, with Smart even less at 2.4.

Most of Bane’s time on the floor came via spot-up opportunities or in transition, with primary playmaking a distant third. According to Synergy tracking data, Bane’s priorities have shifted this preseason, with an equal time share between pick-and-roll possessions and transition opportunities (16.9 percent of possessions).

Bane is better served as a playmaker with motion already in place and is adept at attacking mismatches so Memphis will have him run off multiple screens to either force switches, keep his defender in chase mode and open the floor up for others. Robin Lopez has to at least give some respect to a diving Kenny Lofton Jr. because of his brute force and physicality, which opens up two-on-one advantages away from the ball. The Grizzlies get a wide-open 3 (we can talk about why Buddy Hield should be taking that shot another day) and should capitalize.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and his synergy with Bane also enters the discussion. On most nights, Memphis will rely on those two as their offensive hubs because of their combined versatility and their chemistry should be able to expand. Last season, Bane averaged a hair under five passes a game to Jackson. That number will have to increase, considerably. Bane’s most frequent recipients of his passes were Tyus Jones and Morant, both of whom are not going to be on the floor come opening night, so there will be a natural adjustment period but both are experienced players and should settle in quickly.

Bane’s assists — and turnovers — have increased in volume since his rookie season but without Morant, he should have ample room to explore the depths of his ball handling and playmaking potential.

Victor Wembanyama has already set the NBA world ablaze with his freakish athleticism and potential, but one of the less heralded talking points of San Antonio’s preseason has been a front-court pairing with Zach Collins that already looks comfortable.

Advertisement

Because of Wembanyama’s physicality — or lack thereof — finding the right match was important. In theory, the best complement to the No.1 overall pick would be a big man who could move his feet, take on larger matchups, rebound and has an aggressive edge to his game. If he could space the floor and even facilitate in pinches, that would be an added bonus. Who knew the Spurs had all of that right under their collective noses?

Collins has struggled with ankle injuries over the past two seasons but has since returned in impressive fashion, showing a multi-faceted package that fits with Wembanyama and will be essential in the Frenchman’s development in the early stages of his career.

Last week when asked about the frontcourt combination, Wembanyama spoke of the two working together behind the scenes in practice and the coaching staff already putting plays that can maximize the efficiency of both of them. We’ve seen clunky big men pairings in the past, this is not one of them.

“It’s us learning how to play together,” Collins told The Athletic. “It’s also he’s coming into the NBA and there’s so much coming at him at one time. I think he’s done a great job of compartmentalizing everything and trying to play basketball. And on the other side of that, I’m just trying to figure out where I can be to be effective in that lineup. As two bigs, we definitely have to work together and the nice thing is we both can shoot. He can play on the perimeter and I can stay inside and vice versa. Whatever the defense gives us, we have to take and that will work out for us.”

San Antonio teased the possibility of second-year forward Jeremy Sochan playing point guard and from everything we’ve seen during preseason, that looks like the plan moving forward. Last season, Tre Jones handled the bulk of playmaking responsibilities, a task that will now seemingly be shared amongst the likes of Sochan, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell — but Collins’ unselfishness and underrated vision will come in handy routinely for the Spurs.

So far in preseason, Collins ranks in the 80th percentile in half-court efficiency and finished second on the team in assists (19) to Jones (23). Yes, it’s the preseason. No, it’s not by accident. Through four games, Collins took 14 3-pointers and converted at a 35.7 percent rate, more than adequate at his position. This isn’t a blip, either — Collins is a career 34.2 percent 3-point shooter who isn’t afraid to launch from behind the arc. The Wembanyama gravity will open up space for him, but that’s not where his real value lies. It’s his ability to keep an offense humming.

This is a deliberate play run for Collins that incorporates multiple things San Antonio wants to achieve. Sochan brings the ball up the floor, Vassell makes sure the table is set, Collins catches at the top of the key and already anticipates a cutting Wembanyama. There is constant movement and intentional spacing and communication. Good luck stopping that.

Advertisement

“They run a lot through the big guys,” Collins said. “You have to be capable to make plays. But Pop is great at finding out what guys are good at and then helping them shine in those things. He saw that I’m a willing passer, I like to get guys on cuts and scoring isn’t my only option when I’m out there. I love to get guys involved.”

By now, you know that preseason stats should be taken with a grain of salt.

There are so many factors unaccounted for — veteran players trying to avoid injury and simply ramp up conditioning, coaching staffs opting to keep things close to their vests and early October basketball which can be interesting, to say the least.

But the Houston Rockets, after all the extensive offseason work retooling and reshaping the roster — and hopefully the culture — early returns look promising.

Offensively, they still look like a work in progress and will continue to do so as Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün figure out what the playmaking structure and base look like. But defensively, things look different. Houston has looked engaged and in tune — and Şengün’s potential continues to show.

It’s important to note that for Houston, Ime Udoka wants his team to be aggressive, versatile and most importantly, together. They’re going to play different schemes at different times depending on the personnel they have on the floor, their opponents and how the game is going. But at its core, Şengün, the last line of defense, is oftentimes the most important.

Taking a glance at the projected starters — VanVleet, Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr. and Şengün — both Green and Şengün stick out as net negatives (Smith was also an inconsistent defender as a rookie) but the latter was the focal point among the previous regime, where his effort was publicly and privately called out on a few occasions.

Advertisement

Şengün, one of the more self-aware young players I’ve been around, internalized the criticism and came into camp in much better shape. Brooks spoke to me last week about Sengun’s improved defense, especially in his ability to help on drives and sealing possessions and the tape checks out. It’s likely the biggest reason why Udoka didn’t seem at all concerned with his offensive inconsistency during preseason. It hasn’t been perfect — Sengun endured back-to-back rough showings against Collins and the Spurs — but as long as Sengun is showing intent on the other side of the floor, the offense will work itself out at some point.

“He’s been solid,” Udoka said. “I think he’s been up and down like the rest of our team as far as a lot of things. But when you talk about rim protection and a lot of that has to do with us switching one through five, to eliminate some of the two-on-two pick-and-rolls. We can take care of a lot of rim attempts just by switching the right way.”

One might surmise that Udoka’s preference is to have five guys on the floor who are comfortable switching everything, putting an onus on shrinking the floor akin to his predecessor, Mike D’Antoni. But the Rockets head coach has also spoken about knowing his personnel and putting them in positions that maximize their strengths and minimize weaknesses.

Houston doesn’t want to force Şengün to switch because that’s not something he’s particularly good at right now. But what he can do, or at least develop in, is hedge and recover. His timing has improved from his rookie season, knowing when to come out and show as well as retreating and making himself a bigger wall. Some of the best sequences happen in the blink of an eye so it’s important to pay attention.

Against the Heat over the weekend, Şengün recorded four blocks, a mark he hasn’t reached since mid-January. The Rockets finished the preseason second in defensive efficiency, giving up a stingy 95.9 points per 100 possessions per Cleaning the Glass. That likely won’t hold up in the regular season, but even an incremental jump in timing and effort makes a world of a difference. And Şengün, at the apex, can have a lot to say about Houston’s defensive progress.

(Photo: Troy Taormina / USA Today)