The Grizzlies not only went 18-11 with Tillman as the starting C last season, a huge percentage of those games were played without Ja Morant as well. Throughout most the second half of the season the Grizzlies started Tyus Jones and Xavier Tillman. They have experience in playing without Adams in the lineup.
I believe that Steven Adams is both a big loss for the Grizzlies yet a loss that has been overblown, and that’s in part because Adams’ effectiveness was unlikely to be at his usual standard with his knee injury. A PCL injury is difficult to play on because it affects your ability to bend and spring on your knee. This is the kind of injury that takes a long time to both heal from and really return to play at your best from and Adams is 30 now with a lot of miles on the tires.
Xavier Tillman is a much different player to Steven Adams. He’s clearly much smaller. Not the enforcer Adams is and definitely not the rebounder. He’s a solid passer but not the facilitator Adams is. What he does bring that Adams doesn’t to the same degree is an ability to run the floor in transition and be a source of transition dunks. He runs hard in transition and is a pretty stout athlete. Nobody is Stevo as a screener but Tillman is a very good screen setter himself. He isn’t a great perimeter shooter but he isn’t incapable from the outside…and he is pretty good at ducking in to the basket from the perimeter and creating easy baskets that way.
Tillman slides his feet well on the perimeter and can hold his own against wings. He’s legitimately switchy and he gives the Grizzlies a starting 5 along with new addition Marcus Smart and returning-to-health Ziaire Williams a starting 5 that will be able to switch 1-5. They’ll be a pretty athletic starting 5, and they’ll be a pretty versatile starting 5. Marcus Smart is a great post player and great post playmaker and that’s something I think could be utilized well with Tillman’s off ball activity and his strong finishing ability.
Tillman isn’t a great paint defender because of his size…he gives up a pretty high % at the rim. But his perimeter switchiness does make up for that a fair bit and he grades out as a positive defender overall. He’s physical and does it without fouling.
I don’t think the Grizzlies of course are a better team without a 100% Steven Adams. They’re not. Who knew one poor judgement to dive for a ball in de-facto garbage time would end up this way. There is a real likelihood we have seen the end of Steven Adams’ prime. Xavier Tillman can’t provide everything Adams did but he’s a good player who will add his own wrinkles to the Grizzlies. This year they’re bigger on the perimeter than they were last season without him which should aid their perimeter defense and their rebounding. Rebounding is absolutely the biggest concern for the Grizzlies but I think their starting 5 with Tillman is still poised to be elite defensively, gonna be a fast paced team that could drown many of their opponents, and I feel confident about they remaining a good team this year and in the first 25 without Ja.
Do you all feel the same way? Tell me what you think.
Rose is not going play a large or even positive role I don’t know why he is being bought up at all. He played 27 games last year with the Knicks and they went 12-15 with two of his “wins” being game she got in during garbage time. So in games he played more than 5 minutes they were 10-15 that’s bad.
Is Smart a more dynamic player? I guess I think he is also way more likely to chuck bad shots and kill your team’s offensive flow like he did at times with the Celtics. I also don’t think it’s fair to compare someone who is the main ball handler in Jones to Smart who shares the floor with two all nba ball handlers. Who bath take a large share of the creation and offensive load off of him as well as the defensive pressure.
Yes Smart is a better defender but he clearly lost a step last year and he is going be asked to do more offensively and probably have to guard up a position most of the time especially when Ja is back.
Smart lost a step last season but he was also dealing with multiple ailments the entire season of which he’s recovered from now. He’s healthy and that should make a big difference in his performance this season. Even last season’s defensive performance is better than anything Tyus can do. Grizzlies perimeter defense should be great…way more size than last season with Smart and Ziaire Williams. Extremely switchable. They’re gonna cause havoc on the perimeter and generate deflections.
You’re right that Smart was in a fantastic situation in Boston in terms of having Jaylen and Jayson alround him offensively and that of course relieves pressure off his shoulders as a ballhandler/playmaker/scorer but that doesn’t necessarily mean he individually isn’t capable. He can take his bad shots but he’s a very good post scorer overall, he can create for others out of the low/mid post, and he is OK enough as a perimeter shooter, 33-34% on a pretty high volume. He has to be guarded out there…teams were sagging off Brooks. Tyus shoots well from 3 but on pretty low volume.
Tyus a good table setter and has a nice floater and makes 3’s. Smart is quite the creative passer and he’s just a more dynamic all around player. He took some bad shots at times with the Celtics, their offense had a habit of seeing the ball stick at times, but Smart is a good playmaker overall, and he’s just better than Tyus in general.
Rose is healthy this season after struggling with ankle issues with the Knicks and struggling to regain his rhythm afterward…we’ll see how the season goes but he looked good in preseason, looked like he had his quickness, and he’s gonna be in the rotation for the Grizz at the outset of the season. He’s a better option as a backup ballhandler for me than Bane/Konchar/Kennard. He still can create for himself and others. He’s a good fit with Aldama and Tillman. Kennard will be playing off the bench with him and can handle the ball. I like the fit offensively for the Grizz off the bench with a healthy DRose.