Necessity may be the mother of invention, sure. A 6-foot-3 rookie guard was never supposed to wind up playing power forward in the NBA. However, though Jahmai Mashack definitely does not fit the traditional big man mold, the Tennessee alum has made the unnatural look routine over the last few weeks. Tuomas Iisalo's rotations may lack size without Zach Edey, but the must-watch Memphis Grizzlies can at least count on some scrappy stability to close out the season.
Iisalo dropped this nugget on how Mashack is stepping up as a nominal 4-5 over the last ten games (8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.1 steals/blocks in 23.4 minutes per game averages since mid-February).
“It's definitely not his natural position,” Iisalo shrugged. “But we saw it already in the summer that he has a good feel for the screening. It also helps keep some of our other guys in their more natural position, so not everybody has to change their role.”
Surprisingly, rather than being a complete liability against bigger opponents, Mashack’s lateral quickness has turned the matchup into a weapon.
“(Mashack) is very flexible defensively also, where we like the fact that when he's on the opposing fives, he can switch out onto the primary ball handlers,” explained Iisalo. “There's very little loss there, you have a very good on-ball defender there. He's shown in matchups already now in his short time with us, against Jokic for example, how he's able to get around guys and be very, very disruptive.”
The reference to Nikola Jokic, a three-time NBA Most Valuable Player, underscores how much Mashack has already been tested. His willingness to compete against elite competition in a foreign role has drawn notice inside the organization. An uptick in outside shooting despite the bruising assignments is starting to get everyone else's attention.
“Offensively, very promising with (Mashack's) shooting from the outside,” Iisalo noted. “He is making the other team pay for leaving him open.”
Finding open three-point attempts that do not require a slugfest will take some time. Still, the rookie's willingness to sacrifice his body in the post now should be rewarded with a shot to run the offense later. The Grizzlies know they owe Mashack an opportunity to play his true position eventually, even if those reps have to wait until Summer League action.
