An ode to Memphis Grizzlies' super-subs Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr.

The Grizzlies' reserves are showing up and showing out

When I promised to write something about Memphis to start the season, I assumed it would be something about Ja Morant (looking no less athletic than the last time we saw him, even if he can’t hit a jumper), or Desmond Bane, or rookie giant Zach Edey, or the return of Jaren Jackson Jr. to his proper role as a weakside shotblocking menace.

And I will almost certainly touch upon some of those storylines in the future. But today? Today belongs to Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr.

If you haven’t heard of Huff, I don’t blame you. The 26-year-old had logged a combined 31 NBA games and 164 minutes before this season. My earliest memory of the bearded one is watching Shaedon Sharpe atomize him at Summer League a few seasons ago — the TV broadcast proclaiming, “Huff does have the ability to protect the rim” right before he gets baptized is perfect comedic timing.

But the announcers weren’t wrong. Huff was the 2023 G-League Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 3.1 blocks per game that season, and that’s shone to start the season. Huff looks like a guy who wears flannel to work and enjoys hazy IPAs, not like someone with the length and quickness to recover and block a full-speed Jalen Green:

In his short NBA career, Huff has averaged 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes — an excellent mark. He’s even shown a little agility on the perimeter, although a larger sample is needed to see if that’s sustainable.

While Huff has long been a good defender, it’s his offense that has popped off the screen through four games. Huff has shown off his athleticism with an array of reverse dunks (he loves reverse dunks):

Want another? Here’s my favorite. Huff makes a beautifully timed cut and then reverse dunks on two people:

That slam got virtually no acclaim, which is tragic. Reversing on top of defenders is like an eclipse on Leap Day; you just don’t see it much.

As exciting as his handful of jams have been, Huff’s range has been even more critical. Huff has been lights out from three, canning 10 of his 17 attempts through the season so far. Huff shot 37% from deep in the G-League last year and 40% the year before, so low volume caveats aside, this isn’t completely unexpected. His comfort level with the ball is notable:

How does a guy who can protect the rim and space the floor need four summer leagues and three years in the G to get his literal shot in the big leagues? That’s a better question for NBA team executives than me. We still don’t know if his rebounding or ability to guard in space will hold up over time, but Huff couldn’t be off to a better start. His ability to stretch the floor without sacrificing defense has given Memphis a nice curveball to the old-school Edey (and might make for an intriguing paint Drano for Morant as the season goes on).

It’s also allowed Memphis to try some funky combinations, including a three-big lineup with Santi Aldama (a fellow super-sub who has been thrust into a starting role in three of four games this season; he has been a story all his own) and Brandon Clarke. What fun!

Huff’s minutes have been an early joy of the season so far, and Memphis just rewarded him by converting his two-way deal into a guaranteed contract (yay!). But he’s not the only Memphis vagabond to make the most of his time. Scotty Pippen Jr. (yes, the son of that Scottie Pippen) has put in work as the backup point guard after bouncing around on two-ways for a few years like an unloved pinball.

Pippen, a favorite of mine since his days at Vanderbilt University, has consistently combined ferocious on-ball defense, deadeye shooting, and burgeoning playmaking with the new confidence that only his own guaranteed contract can bring. In fact, Pippen’s 8.3 assists per game rank fourth in the NBA, and he’s doing it in just 25 minutes per night!

Pippen’s game, in a nutshell, can be summed up by this backcourt steal and dish to a trailing Huff for a triple:

That aggressive mentality pays off in the half-court offense, too. Pippen drives into the paint nearly 11 times per game and leads the league in assists off those forays. His ability to collapse the paint and kick out for triples kept Memphis’ offense afloat even as Morant, Jackson, and others have missed games and played limited minutes.

Sometimes, that confidence can lead to some oopsies. Pippen isn’t a big dude (6’1” on Giving Tuesday) and can run out of passing lanes when audacity overwhelms caution:

But Pippen is putting up playmaking numbers rivaling almost any guard in the league (including a 12-assist game in a big win against Orlando and a 10-assist effort last night), and he should only get better with more experience running the show. For the Grizzlies to find him essentially off the scrap heap last season feels like cheating.

When the Bears ripped off back-to-back second seeds in 2022 and 2023, depth was a huge key to their success. They’re banking on that this year, too. The Grizzlies have a brutal schedule to open the season with six games in just nine days, and after last year’s injury-ravaged horror-film of a season, coach Taylor Jenkins stated early on that Memphis would manage the starters’ minutes. That’s led to increased room for the reserves to play well and earn confidence.

And although the Grizzlies suffered a late-game collapse in Chicago without Ja Morant last night, they’re still 2-2, with two matches against Brooklyn sandwiching games against a struggling Milwaukee squad and an uncertain, nervous Philadelphia team. If they can make it through this opening stretch at 4-4 or 5-3 without needing to open up the throttle, that’s a massive win for their long-term outlook.

Eventually, the schedule will stabilize, and the starters will assume a bigger role (I won’t shed tears for Jake LaRavia’s minutes ticking down). Pippen won’t be a top-five assist guy forever, sadly, and Huff will probably miss a three-pointer at some point. But the two have shown that they’re ready and able to assume as large a workload as necessary, and that’s far more important for the Grizzlies than most.