(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
In the Warriors’ 114-95 win over the Grizzlies back on Nov. 19, Golden State nullified rookie sensation Ja Morant by employing a clever strategy (as pointed out by Mercury News columnist Dieter Kurtenbach) that involved a drop zone and 2-3 zone scheme that forced the athletic guard into midrange jumpers. Morant went just 7-of-20 from the field.
In Monday’s home loss to the Grizzlies, Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins returned the favor, and it proved to be the difference in the game.
Jenkins threw the 6-foot-11 Jaren Jackson Jr. on Warriors standout rookie Eric Paschall, largely nullifying what is currently Golden State’s number two option on offense. The effect was even more dramatic than what Kerr did to Morant in November. Paschall scored just five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
“They did a good job, they put size on him, they started Jaren Jackson on him so it made it more difficult for Eric to score inside and I think he got maybe two or three shots blocked early in the game,” Kerr said. “We tried to get him a couple of hoops in the second half to get him going but it just wasn’t his night. He just never found a rhythm.”
Paschall has hit the ground running in his rookie season, averaging 17.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. The game comes easy to Paschall, but as teams begin to game plan for him, the forward will have to figure out counters to non-traditional defensive strategies.