If there's one word that summarizes the Memphis Grizzlies’ first preseason outing, Luke Kennard offered the best possible description. Following their practice session on Wednesday, Kennard simply called the Grizzlies’ first preseason game as “fun.” They utilized their desired fast-paced offensive system en route to a 121-116 road victory against the Dallas Mavericks.
"It's fast, we want to play fast, we want to pressure full-court when we can defensively. But it's a lot of fun when we play together like that where there's a continuous movement on the ball. We get a lot of good looks,” Kennard said.
Grizzlies on the run
Head coach Taylor Jenkins greatly emphasized his desire for a rapid offensive play for the Grizzlies, and it is safe to assume that the team didn't fail to impress in their first try before the new season.
With Ja Morant leading the way, Memphis went on a full attack right off the tip-off and maintained it until the final buzzer. With their 121-point collective output, the Grizzlies applied a total team effort of sharing the ball and finding the right spots with 35 assists. They also went fast in transition, with 26 total points.
Active defensive leads to fast pace offense 💨 pic.twitter.com/0rg2PuC03x
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) October 8, 2024
Although they still have plenty of careful basketball to play upon tallying 23 turnovers that gave the Mavericks 30 points, it's still an impressive display for Memphis that will only guide what they'll continue to do moving forward.
“We had a lot of assists the other night, and it just shows that we've been really working on sharing the ball, moving our bodies, trying to get the best shot possible,” Kennard added, who had 6 points and even participated in the team's passing clinic with 4 assists. “Yeah, it's fun.”
The show goes on
Although it appears that Morant will possibly miss time after sustaining a mild ankle sprain against the Mavs, this won't mean that the Grizzlies will stop rolling with their new offensive philosophy. Memphis still has four preseason games left on their table, and the remaining schedule is considerably enough for the team to continue its high-octane play in preparation of the 2024-25 season.
Even without their showrunner, expect more fun-filled basketball action from the Grizzlies.
Related: "When we get it (together), it's going to be scary, for sure."