Although it is often dismissed as a series of meaningless exhibition games, the NBA summer league is actually crucial to young player development and provides fans a glimpse of what the team's younger players will do in the regular season. The Memphis Grizzlies' 2010 Summer League is no different.
Before we go any further, let's go over who will be suiting up for the Grizzlies in Vegas. OJ Mayo and Sam Young will join recent draft picks Xavier Henry and Greivis Vasquez in the backcourt while Darrell Arthur, Hasheem Thabeet, Hamed Haddadi and DeMarre Carroll will patrol the frontcourt. Undrafted rookies Jeff Adrien and Patrick Sullivan will round out the Memphis roster.
The major storyline of the summer league is that third-year veteran Mayo will be playing point guard. OJ has expressed interest in running the point this year and the summer league will give the Griz coaching staff a good idea of his readiness to do so. With the Grizzlies' point guard position in flux, OJ's performance will go a long way in determining who will log regular season playing time at the point. If he performs well, he could supplant Mike Conley as the starter and allow Young, Henry and recent signee Tony Allen to rotate at the shooting guard position. If he plays badly, though, he would likely stay at the 2 and Conley would remain the starter at point.
I have been one of Conley's biggest supporters during his Memphis tenure, but even I now want a point guard shakeup. Conley is never going to get much better than he is right now, and if the Grizzlies are serious about making a playoff run, he needs to either step up or be replaced. Is OJ the right answer? Probably not. It remains to be seen whether he can run the point, but it would allow the Grizzlies' bevy of guards (Allen, Young, Henry and Vasquez) to see more playing time. If OJ does move to the point, it should only be for the short term and I would like to see us trade Conley and Thabeet/Carroll for a more proven point guard.
What about the rest of the summer league roster? Obviously, it will be Xavier and Greivis' first taste of NBA ball and I hope they perform well. It is easy to dismiss a poor summer league performance as not meaning anything, but these games do often serve as a good indicator of regular season performance. For example, we should have known something was up when Thabeet averaged just 45% FG, 0.8 blocks, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls per 25 minutes of play last summer. To play devil's advocate, though, don't be discouraged if the new guys (or OJ) don't dazzle in Vegas. It is just an exhibition league, after all.
Here is the Grizzlies complete summer league schedule:
-Tonight, vs. Atlanta
-July 13, vs. Milwaukee
-July 15, vs. D-League Select
-July 16, vs. Minnesota
-July 18, vs. San Antonio
Keep living the Grizz Life,
Owen
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