Sweeping the Suns🧹
Ja Keeps Taking Over in the Fourth, Cam and Lamar Prove Their Worth
The Suns haven’t been playing like a championship team this season—honestly, they don’t even look like a solid playoff team. But unlike some teams, they’re never the kind of opponent that makes you feel hopeless, no matter how big the lead is. The Grizzlies scored just 4 points in the first five minutes, while Durant couldn’t miss, but you just knew Memphis would catch up.
It just happened in an unexpected way. JJJ, Santi Aldama, BC, Edey, and even Vince (who has been starting at the four lately) were all out, leaving the Grizzlies’ center looking more like a change from Nanjing to Nanyang. Getting crushed on the boards and taking a ton of threes was inevitable. But the unlikely trio of Lamar Stevens, Huff, and Cam Spencer stepped up, with Stevens—who usually shoots like he’s never made a three in his life—going 4 for 6 and filling the offensive gap, helping the team put together one of their best offensive games in weeks.
I’ve been high on Stevens since last season and during the summer’s NBA 400 Project, calling him the perfect Grizzlies-type player. No one wanted him midseason, and Memphis stole him on a 10-day contract. His size, athleticism, rebounding, and aggressive defense mirror what Jake LaRavia was supposed to bring and make him a perfect insurance option for GG as he learns the game. And when it mattered most, he locked up Durant on the final possession, stopping a guy who had just hit 7 of 8 threes from winning the game. No need to say anything more. He’s earned a spot on this roster for the rest of the season. @ZachKleiman, if you don’t sign him this offseason, I’ll be standing outside the Forum with a protest sign.
Huff and Pippen Jr. were barely in the rotation but had to step up today. Their future on this team? Probably the same as now—emergency depth for the next four years. Their contracts are so cheap and useful that the Grizzlies aren’t trading them for anything.
Cam Spencer absolutely belongs in an NBA rotation. Never underestimate a guard who’s played in a purely competitive NCAA environment and knows exactly how to play the right way. And he’s way tougher than he looks. Just off his elite shooting and ball-handling, he can give you 10 solid minutes a night. His rookie season has been unlucky—sent to the G-League early, then stuck behind too many rotation guys, then injured. But I can see him making the rotation next year as Kennard’s backup. His biggest problem? His accent doesn’t match his face at all.
*Spencer’s media day interview:
Since Ja Morant deactivated his social media again, he’s been averaging 27+ points, 7+ assists, and shooting over 90% from the free-throw line in his last nine games. He still can’t hit a three, but he’s been clutch every game.
• The double-clutch layup in Orlando
• The almost comeback in Cleveland
• The three-pointer and floater to force OT against the Suns
• The and-1 dagger against the Knicks
• The drive, floater, and three to close the game in Dallas
• The mid-range dagger in New Orleans last night
• And tonight, the tough floater over Royce O’Neale
I’m just listing plays here, but even in his 2022-23 prime, Ja never had such a dominant and consistent stretch of clutch performances in such a short period. Let alone compared to pre-All-Star-break Ja, who kept disappearing in games. Some people love to push the narrative that “Donovan Mitchell’s drop in stats is sacrifice, but Ja’s is actual decline.” But over these past three weeks, he’s shutting down every hater. If Ja had actually regressed two full years, you know how much that would lower the Grizzlies’ ceiling. We’re all waiting to see if that’s really the case.
Aside from his hot scoring, his 12 assists showed how elite he is as a playmaker. Whether it was Marvin Bagley, Clarke, or Edey—big men who can’t shoot, or GG, Aldama, Huff, and even Stevens tonight—forwards with shaky spacing, Ja still found them and made the Grizzlies’ half-court offense flow smoothly.
I wasn’t even surprised Wells nearly got a concussion from getting blindsided by Richards, because as @ChrisVernonShow said, he fights through every screen like he’s sprinting the 100m dash. As a lockdown defender who doesn’t trash talk or initiate contact, the only way refs can punish him is by letting screeners commit offensive fouls on him. This missed call was on the same level as Westbrook getting smacked in the face by Chet yesterday—right in front of the baseline ref, and conveniently uncallable on review. Smart!
This is exactly why I hate watching the Grizzlies play teams in big cities. You just know the refs will keep calling endless off-ball fouls, illegal screens, and missing obvious calls—and then casual fans will dismiss it all with “you lost by 20, don’t blame the refs” or “the free throw count was even.” It’s so much worse than just losing a game.
The Grizzlies are climbing out of the Rockets-Thunder zone and Ja is pushing for Player of the Week. The bench still has untapped potential, and I just hope they can stay healthy.