Missing the services of Jaren Jackson Jr., Luke Kennard and John Konchar, the Grizzlies began the game starting Jordan Goodwin, Ziaire Williams, Vince Williams Jr., Santi Aldama and Trey Jemison. This game marked the second time this group started a game this season, the other being against the Milwaukee Bucks last month.
With both teams missing a plethora of key players, the start of the game was tied to that as both teams started trailing 2-8 and the Blazers led 7-5 when the first media timeout came at 6: 48. The tough shooting continued for the rest of the first quarter which ended with the Grizzlies breaking a 17-17 tie with a 4-0 run to end the quarter leading 21-17.
The scoring picked up early in the second quarter as shots began to fall for both teams and the Blazers more than doubled their first quarter score less than midway through the second as they led 37-35. Despite the Grizzlies’ better shooting, turnovers were their downfall for the remainder of the quarter as Portland led 51-45 at halftime.
The Blazers immediately began the second half, increasing their lead to double digits as they went on an 11-4 run to lead 62-49 three minutes into the third quarter. Outside of a spurt where the Grizzlies cut their 16-point deficit to six, the Blazers rode the remainder of the third quarter to lead 91-72 heading into the fourth quarter.
Portland continued to pour it on the Grizzlies in the fourth quarter as they led by as many as 33 points en route to a 122-92 victory. The Blazers had six players score in double figures. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies had no starter to score in double figures and were led by three bench scorers in double figures with Jake LaRavia leading the way with 21 points.
In a game that wasn’t fun to watch, here’s the main takeaway:
Consistency is key for Ziaire
Ziaire Williams is arguably the most polarizing player on the Grizzlies roster among the organization and fan base. He was selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Stanford as a player the organization saw as a big part of the future and a potential centerpiece alongside Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
However, playing his third season with the team this season, he was the subject of trade discussions due to his disappointing performance. He showed promise during his rookie season, particularly during the second half of that season when he was a primary starter while Dillon Brooks was injured, but that momentum was slowed due to his own injury problems during his sophomore season last year.
Entering his third season this season, Ziaire’s expectations were clear: It was time to show he could be a part of the core going forward or it was time to move on. Due to his inconsistencies in his game for most of this season and the emergence of Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson II, Ziaire has become an afterthought with an uncertain future.
Now that his Grizzlies’ tenure is uncertain, Ziaire has started to show some consistency in his game after returning from his recent hand injury that kept him out of the lineup for eight games . Since the Grizzlies’ last game before the All-Star break against the Milwaukee Bucks when he scored a career-high 27 points, Ziaire Williams had been consistently performing well over the Grizzlies’ last four games before last night’s game.
While he shot 46 percent in those four games, averaging nearly 15 points, his movement off the ball improved as well as his defense at the point of attack. He even joked about how he and Vince Williams Jr. argued (in a good way) over who would guard the other team’s best player when they were on the court together after a game against James, Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard. , and the LA Clippers last week.
After his performance of 9 points and 5 rebounds on 40% shooting against the Portland Trail Blazers, Ziaire continues to find some consistency in the flow of his game. Even if it was not the best performance given the current circumstances team and the bottom line, Ziaire continued to show he could carve out a role in the NBA during this short span of games.
Start/Stop/Continue
TO START GG Jackson. Now is the time to see what he can do as a starter, especially with the season being what it is right now. Exposing him to as many different potential roles as possible can only do his future good.
Future
The Grizzlies stay home for a second straight night against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at 7 p.m. CST. This match will mark the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. After last night’s game, the Blazers lead the season series 2-1.
Final quote
“You have to bounce back, it was embarrassing.” -Taylor Jenkins
