Perhaps it’s because the Grizzlies are training in sunny Southern California where the hillsides are burnt brown from a lack of rain and the promise of more Santa Ana winds, but no matter the reason, there’s no mud to be found around the Memphis Grizzlies in this training camp.
Training camps fall into two categories – ones in which the two-hour sessions drag on interminably and ones in which there’s a straightforward, business-like approach that allows a full day’s work in less than two hours.
The Grizzlies are putting on an efficient and workmanlike camp inside RIMAC Arena at UCSD. Every drill has been timed out and carefully choreographed to get the most out of every minute. Every coach and player development staffer is fully participating instead of standing on the sidelines with a towel over folded arms.
This isn’t a camp for lollygaggers. The coaching staff has been preparing for this week since early September. Their task has been made easier with the high number of holdover players from last season, but still there is the matter of getting Vince Carter and draft picks Jordan Adams and Jarnell Stokes up to snuff on the Grizzlies’ system.
The quick pace is forcing everyone to focus on details. If you blink, you will almost certainly miss something. Yesterday, it was defense; today, it was offense. As a player, you’ve got to get your mind around what’s being taught because there just aren’t a whole lot of roster spots available and the competition for minutes on the wings figures to be pretty keen.
And you’d better have arrived at camp in shape, or you’re going to be literally left behind. Thankfully for the Grizzlies, their fitness level across the board is high, a validation of the additional training and strength-and-conditioning staff approved by Robert Pera. For years, the Grizzlies made do with a smaller-than-average cadre of staff to handle the many physical needs of their players. Those days are over, and perhaps also over are days spent spinning wheels while stuck in the mud.