Notebook: Another transition for rookie Arthur
With rookie O.J. Mayo receiving most of the attention, the Grizzlies’ other first-round pick, Darrell Arthur, and his transition to the professional ranks hasn’t garnered much press.
No longer is his expulsion from the NBA’s rookie transition program on Arthur’s mind. He’s arrived at training camp ready, focused and in tune with what the Griz expect.
The 6-9 forward out of Kansas is making a good impression, according to coach Marc Iavaroni.
Arthur would also give himself a passing grade so far.
“I’m catching on to the defensive schemes pretty good,”
Arthur said. “I’m running the floor pretty good. Coach just asked me to run the floor and rebound and I’ll stay out on the court. So I’m trying to focus on that right now.”
Asked the difference between college and the pros, Arthur delivered a typical rookie response.
“It’s faster. You have to think more,”
he said. “You’re playing against the best every day so you have to bring your ‘A’ game every day. It’s a big change from playing against a 6-5 guy every day in college to playing against guys who are 6-9 and up every day. There’s a lot more competition every day.”
Happy to be healthy
Usually it doesn’t take long for teams to experience nagging injuries during the first few days of training camp. The two-a-day sessions can weed out players with poor conditioning as well.
But the Griz haven’t dealt with those issues, and Iavaroni is pleased that no one is banged up.
“That’s always huge because most injuries come in practice, and we’re doing nothing but practicing right now,”
he said. “So every day we try not to think about it. But we are encouraging our guys to take care of their bodies.”
3-point threats?
The Grizzlies are without their two best 3-point shooters from last season. A quick glance at the roster reveals that the team will be searching for long-range shooting consistency.
“That’s one thing that’s going to impact our offense,”
Iavaroni said. “I don’t see a plethora of three-point shooters. We’re missing our two big guns Mike (Miller) and Juan Carlos (Navarro), so that’s going to affect how we’ll attack the 3-point line.”
Iavaroni said Mayo and Rudy Gay will be given a green light to shoot 3-pointers provided they are even more effective getting to the free-throw line.
