Outgoings:
Free Agents: SF Glenn Robinson III (Indiana), Quincy Pondexter (waived)
Trade: PF/C Kyle O’Quinn (Charlotte)
Incomings:
Free Agents: New: PG Lester Hudson, SG/SF Corey Brewer. Returning: SG/SF Terrence Ross, SF Luol Deng, PF/SF Khem Birch, C Daniel Miller.
Trade: N/A
Draft: PF Dimitrios Agravanis (23rd), SF Marcus Lee (49th), C Guillermo Hernangomez (56th)
Grizzlies are bringing a similar core line-up to last year with 10 out of 15 players coming back. We are looking forward to continue to experiment with strategies, players and lineups. We are unlikely to have a set starting lineup and will continue to adjust as required depending on the opponents.
Our goal is quite ambitious this year considering that the West has improved. We are looking at winning 50+ games again and a 5th spot in the playoffs. Is it achievable? We shall see.
Position review:
Point Guard
Mike Conley – defensive specialist and All-Star is now the only Grizzly remaining who was on the original squad at the start of CSL. He continues to bring toughness on defense and strong scoring ability on offense.
Goran Dragic – last year’s early season MVP candidate took a slight step back towards the end but still performed at all-CSL level. He is expected to be back strong after one full year with the Grizzlies and lead us in scoring once again.
Lester Hudson – after seeing a number of point guards signing with other teams, we had to settle for Hudson as our backup. Hudson should do fine in limited minutes, he has an impressive ability to take care of the ball with Pre-Season league leading 0.013 TOs per touch. He is not particularly good on defense so we need to make sure there are some good shot blockers on the floor to support but offensively, he is the perfect backup point guard.
Shooting Guard
Corey Brewer – newcomer Brewer has been signed to a huge MLE deal this offseason after the Grizzlies saw a number of other MLE targets signing elsewhere for cheaper deals. Brewer brings phenomenal defense and figures to join the starting lineup on day 1.
Terrence Ross – finally out of his rookie contract Ross signed a 5 year $35M deal this offseason. He is a savvy scorer who can drive at will and shoot the three at close to 40%. Not the best defender around, he started most of the games last season and impressed with his performance. He also showed some inconsistency, however. We are looking forward to seeing how we can utilise him more effectively this season.
Mateusz Ponitka - second year man is still at least a season away from being a consistent member of the rotation. He improved across the board and we are very impressed by his ability to get to the line and aggressive scorer’s mentality. He remind us a lot of former Grizzly Kevin Martin in a sense that both are offensive players that need a lot of help on the defensive end of the court. While Martin is obviously a better shooter, Mateusz compensates for his lack of 3-point shooting by drawing more contact. He will play occasionally but still looks like a garbage time man this season.
Small Forward
Tony Mitchell – Mitchell played most of his minutes at PF last year and this may happen again. He is a low usage player that boasts great efficiency along with phenomenal combination of steals and blocks (Only Okaro White is better in entire CSL although this may change in a few seasons with the development of rookie Agravanis). Mitchell will continue to be a key member of the rotation and arguably the best contract in CSL.
Luol Deng – savvy veteran Deng ios back for another tour with us. He is 32 and has regressed somewhat but still plays impressive defense and smart offense. Deng was a 6th man of the year candidate last year and is likely to continue to come off the bench. We like his versatility and, used correctly, Deng is a force like no other in CSL.
Marcus Lee – 49th pick in the draft is coming in as a near-CSL ready defender. Challenge is that he can’t do anything else. He has the physical tools to become a part of rotation for his entire CSL career although he will never develop into a starting calibre player. We nevertheless see him as becoming a Michal Curry type of a defender who can come in for 2-6 mins at a time and frustrate the offensive player. Like with most of the players on our rooster he is only useful in particular situations and with particular players around him.
Power Forward
Vince Hunter – future Defensive Player of the Year? It’s possible for Vince Hunter. Still only 20 the second year man showed some impressive improvement last season as the year progressed and went from 12th man to a key PF off the bench. He does what a good power forward is supposed to do: fights for rebounds, blocks shots, plays tough D and forces turnovers. Offensively, he is still far from a finished product but can draw contact at elite level. Key challenge with him is consistency
Dimitrios Agravanis – rookie PF looks very raw at the moment but shows impressive potentials. He can stop drives at elite level and also may become one of the best shot-blocking and turnover forcing players in CSL. His performance in the summer league so far showed that he still needs time but may become a regular as the season progresses.
Khem Birch – This guy is the opposite of Marcus Lee mentioned above. Lee plays exceptional defense but poor offense. Birch plays exceptional offense but disappears defensively. He is an efficient scorer used to driving all around the defenders and can shoot effectively from anywhere on the court. He will continue to get playing time. His task this year is to show that he deserves a long term deal after accepting a one year contract from us this offseason.
Center
Daniel Miller – starting C from last year returned on a huge deal. We feel he deserves the investment, however. He showed some impressive numbers especially in Advanced Stats. He is efficient, can defend and rebounds at a high %.
Vitor Faverani – one of the most efficient big men in CSL history is back for another tour. Despite having relatively poor rating, he is a starting calibre C in this league. He can rebound and block shots but his key strength is making shots inside (60% career shooter). Faverani’s high IQ and veteran savvy means he’ll be getting some good minutes at the Center position.
Guillermo Hernangomez – 56th pick in the draft looks like a decent third C already and has plenty of development left. He is an effective inside scorer and figures to be part of the rotation from day 1.
