MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The wait is finally over. On Sunday, the Memphis Grizzlies practiced for the first time as a group since leaving the bubble in mid-August.
Head coach Taylor Jenkins said all players were accounted for at practice. He also stated, although they were just on the court about four months ago, it seems like forever since he’s been with his guys in the gym.
“Just like the guys, I was fired up,” Jenkins said. “I was so excited. I laced up my shoes (and) got an extra stretch in this morning knowing that I was going to be getting down some defensive slides, and I’ll be hooting and hollering chasing these guys all over the gym.”
Jenkins said the team’s “swag” in addition to their energy and chemistry must be there every day, starting in training camp. He said there’s been a lot of preparation over the last couple of months preparing for the season.
Jenkins said though the first preseason game is less than a week away, he is still trying to figure out his starting line-up.
“I definitely have a vision for what it could look like, to start the season, as far as starting line-up and what our second unit might look like,” Jenkins said. “But more to be seen. So, I’m not going to throw out names right now, obviously, I can kind of give you a good idea probably of who the most likely guys will be in the starting line up.”
Three guys who will more than likely make the starting line-up: Ja’Morant, Dillon Brooks, and Jonas Valanciunas. But, Jenkins said he will continue to tweak his line-ups throughout the preseason to help him determine his starters. The Grizzlies are preparing to start the season without Jaren Jackson, Jr. and Justise Winslow.
Not only was Jenkins excited to get things started at training camp, but so was Ja Morant. Morant said it felt good to be back out there with his teammates. He said he felt like today was a very productive day.
“It’s been a while,” Morant said. “I finally got to see some of the new guys play. I felt like we looked good today. It’s still a long season, and we definitely got a lot more work to do. But, I felt like everybody competed today. We were very vocal and we went hard on everything we did.”
Morant stated many of the new guys adjusted very quickly and asked questions if they wanted to know something. He also mentioned how that helps them learn things quicker which made things easier for them when they were on the court.
Additionally, Morant said the young guys were knocking down their shots which makes the Grizzlies a threat from behind the arc. Morant said Grizzlies’ rookie, Desmond Bane, adds more spacing on the floor, which gives Memphis many options when Morant is driving to the cup.
“It opens up the floor a lot more,” said Morant. “With guys like me who like to attack. I’m just reading and playing off him. If his man helps, I know I got him to be able to knock down a shot.”
Tyus Jones said the energy was great at practice and everyone was excited to be back. He added he could not think of anything in particular that stood out at practice, but he said the team was in good shape.
“As a group, we’re in great shape it seems early on,” Jones said. “I think that was kind of one of the biggest questions, guys trying to get back in game shape. I feel like guys legs were good and we’re working trying to get our cardio back. Guys seem to be in pretty good shape, after having a layoff. I think that’s definitely a positive.
The Grizzlies will travel to Minnesota to play against the Timberwolves in Minneapolis on Saturday at 7 p.m.
