On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Grizzlies from the playoffs with a score of 125-85. Despite the Grizzlies heading into the series as the second seed, it only took the Lakers six games to take care of the Grizzlies.
For the Grizzlies, this series defeat was certainly a wake-up call. Between how cocky star guard Ja Morant and forward Dillon Brooks were before and during the series, the Grizzlies learned that they still have much to improve upon if they want to compete at the highest level.
This all starts with Morant. While Morant did have his share of great games this series, his game six performance was underwhelming, to say the least. Morant shot a horrid 18.8% last night and finished with ten points in 33 minutes of play.
Morant recognizes that heading into the series, he had negatively impacted his team and the Grizzlies organization as a whole. On March 16, Morant was suspended for eight games after he went live on Instagram from a Colorado nightclub toting a handgun.
Next, there’s Brooks. Although Brooks is by no means one of the Grizzlies’ best players, his contributions to the team were disappointing. Not a single statistic of Brooks improved come playoff time; in fact, they declined.
The most notable stat was his dip in field goal and three-point percentage. During the regular season, Brooks shot 39.6% from the field and 32.6% from three. However, in the playoffs, Brooks shot an astonishing 31.2% from the field and 23.8% from three.
Brooks’ most significant mistake in this series was trash-talking Lakers forward LeBron James.
Brooks called James “old…I don’t respect someone until he gives me 40.” While James never gave Brooks a 40-point performance. The Lakers winning the series stung Brooks more, as he was unavailable to the media the last two games of the series.
Additionally, The Grizzlies must improve their play in away games as a team. During the regular season, the Grizzlies held one of the worst records for playing teams away. These troubles clearly followed the Grizzlies into the playoffs, as they lost each time they played the Lakers in Los Angeles.
For the Lakers, it was clear they would be a tough matchup for the Grizzlies following all of the trades they made at the deadline this season. After clearing house and changing their lineup, the Lakers went 18-7 before the offseason kicked off.
This shifted them from missing the play-in tournament entirely to making an appearance, where they quickly cemented themselves as the seventh seed heading into playoffs.
What stood out most for the Lakers in this series was the contributions from guard Austin Reaves and forward Rui Hachimura.
Despite it being Reaves’ second season in the NBA, the sophomore guard cemented himself as an essential piece of this Lakers team as all three of his major stats went up in the playoffs. Reaves averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and five assists against the Grizzlies.
Hachimura also saw a boost in his numbers, similar to Reaves, especially in his field goal and three-point percentage. Hachimura shot 56.9% from the field and 52.4% from three this series. In comparison, Hachimura shot 48.6% from two and 31.9% from deep during the regular season.
Reaves’ and Hachimura’s contributions can be linked to the trades the Lakers made earlier this season. The Lakers acquired Hachimura via trade while also acquiring forward Jarrad Vanderbilt and center Mo Bamba through trades.
This gave the Lakers something they had been missing before the trade deadline: height. This, in turn, allowed Reaves to revert to his natural position, which explains his increase in numbers during the later half of the season and the playoffs.
The Lakers will play next on May 2. Their opponent will be either the Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors, depending on the game’s outcome between those two teams on April 30.
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