Positionless basketball has been around the NBA for some time. While some teams continue to search for the ideal recipe, it has assisted the majority of teams in winning titles. In the past, the Memphis Grizzlies had a traditional lineup that helped them compete for a championship. During the 2010s, the Grizzlies still had a double big frontcourt with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.
Both big men occupied the paint, which meant less space for any player to attack the basket. Around them were Rudy Gay, the team’s go-to scorer, at small forward. Their shooting guard, Tony Allen, wasn’t a reliable outside shooter. But they relied on him to lock down the best perimeter player of the opposing team. Wrapping up the starting five was Mike Conley at point guard, who controlled the grit and grind system.
The Grizzlies stuck to the conventional method while the majority of teams experimented with positionless basketball. They were a problem on the court, and no one knew how to stop them. Unfortunately for Memphis, they weren’t able to win a title.
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In a recent episode of “No Limit” podcast, Randolph observed the current state of the league. According to the former Memphis Grizzlies star, positionless basketball is making big men extinct.
“I feel like they making the bigs extinct. Like it’s 6-7, 6-8 your bigs now. I call them hybrids now. You got some teams playing five 6-8 guys, you know, the tallest guy on the court 6-9, and the guy who’s running the plays is 6-6, 6-7, 6-11. So I think it’s called hybrid. I think it’s really positionless,” the two-time All-Star said.
“Like you said, they making a big extinct. You got to be able to shoot the ball. You got to be able to guard. You know what I mean? You got to be able to guard one, two, three, four.”
Gasol honored his Memphis Grizzlies teammates after winning the championship
Gasol was one of the fan-favorite players for the Memphis Grizzlies during the grit and grind era. His finesse around the rim, paired with his ability to anchor a team defense, made him a valuable asset. However, Big Spain’s time with the team ended when he was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Although it broke his heart to leave Memphis, it allowed him to become a significant contributor to the Raptors and win an NBA championship. When he earned his championship ring, Gasol honored his Grizzlies teammates by engraving “G.N.G.”
“You all were there at times,” Gasol said. “What would ZBo think about this? How would ZBo attack it? Like, I would try to get my ZBo moment a little bit, right? So in a way, y’all were there with me because, sh*t, who I am as a player is part of y’all too, because that’s how we built it.”
In April 2024, Gasol was honored by the Grizzlies by retiring his No. 33 jersey.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
