Just over a year ago, the Memphis Grizzlies swung a three-team trade that made sense at the time: Part ways with an aging Tayshaun Prince and a protected first-round pick to acquire Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green.
Already an elite defensive team, the Grizzlies would get an offensive boost from Green that would help them hang with clubs like the high-octane Golden State Warriors. Memphis ran into the Warriors’ buzzsaw last postseason, but a more disturbing trend has emerged this season: This team still can’t score, and its defense is getting worse.
The Grizzlies, who welcome the Celtics to town Sunday, entered Friday just one game over .500 at 19-18. They’re averaging 96 points per game, second-worst in the NBA ahead of only the Philadelphia 76ers, and are allowing 98.9 points per game after holding opponents to an average of 95.1 points or less in each of the last four seasons.
It’s hard to pin those underwhelming stats all on one player, but we’ll say this: Green certainly isn’t helping.
When Green is off the court, Memphis’ defense has a 100.8 defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions), which would rank the Grizz in the league’s top 10. When he’s on the court, though, that number skyrockets to 103.5, which would drop them to 12th-worst. In short: Memphis’ stingy D is considerably less stingy with Green on the floor.
But the Grizzlies didn’t acquire the former fifth overall pick for his elite defense, so how is he impacting things on the other end? The answer: Not much. Green enters Friday averaging just 10.6 points per game, his lowest scoring output since his rookie season. In fact, Memphis actually has a worse offensive rating with Green on the court (99.3) than it does when he’s off the court (100.0).
Celtics fans who saw Green drop 30-point games in Boston know he’s capable of offensive outbursts. But the fact remains that the Grizzlies are more effective when another ex-Celtic is in the lineup: Tony Allen.
Since Allen got bumped from the starting lineup Dec. 13, Memphis is 6-7. The current starting lineup — Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, Green, Matt Barnes and Marc Gasol — owns a plus-minus rating of negative-6.5. Swap out Green and Barnes for Allen and Zach Randolph, and that rating jumps to plus-3.7.
These statistics shouldn’t be surprising, as Allen is historically one of the league’s best defenders and is an upgrade over Green if he’s not scoring in bunches. They also point to a larger issue in Memphis: On a team that desperately needs an offensive boost, Green just isn’t getting the job done.
If the eight-year veteran can find his offensive groove in 2016, it will go a long way toward Memphis’ turnaround. But time is of the essence in the top-heavy West, and Green and the Grizzlies need to solve their scoring woes soon if they want any shot at being a contender.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports Images
