NBA Memphis Grizzlies

Jordan Adams Should Start for Memphis Grizzlies Over Courtney Lee

Fresh Videos

By @The_Only_Grubes

Jordan Adams

Getty Images

Guard Jordan Adams knew how to get his shots at UCLA. From the beginning of his freshman year all the way through his second season with the team, Adams was a crafty scorer capable of scoring from any spot on the floor. Adams has known how to be a solid scorer his entire basketball career; something that is probably the biggest reason why he was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2014 NBA draft.

The Grizzlies have been an anemic offensive team to say the least over the past four seasons, relying on tough grind-it-out half-court sets to go along with consistent defense and effort on both ends of the floor. Yes, Memphis has been that team that wins by outhustling their opponent both offensively and defensively. Offense, particularly shooting the basketball, has not been the team’s strong suit, which is one reason why the Grizzlies went out last season at the trade deadline and moved to acquire guard Courtney Lee.

Lee is the guy who can shoot the three ball and be counted on to hold his own defensively. While he does not hold any special upside offensively, his consistent three-point shooting made him attractive to the Grizzlies, and the team made a move to bring him in. While Lee is a veteran who can contribute to the team in important ways, Adams has more upside at this point and should be thrown into the fire as a starter.

Adams has many more moves and ways to score over Lee. Yes, Lee has shown a little bit of a dribble-drive game over the years, but he is more comfortable being a spot-up shooter as opposed to having the ball in his hands as a true playmaker. Adams is comfortable dribbling the basketball and making moves to either get inside or pull-up for a quick shot in the mid-range or from beyond the three-point line. That is just how natural scoring comes to Adams. Lee does not have that kind of upside as a scorer, which is something that needs to be put into perspective before the season starts.

Lee may give the team a more capable and proven defender on the wing, but Tony Allen is more than capable of locking down the other team’s best wing player; seeing as though he has done that in the league for a number of years now. The time is right to bring a savvy scorer into the starting lineup, and that guy just happens to be Adams. Rookie or not, Adams can ball. His time is now.

Nathan Grubel is a Memphis Grizzlies writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @The_Only_Grubes, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on