Grizzlies' Randolph open to shooting more 3s: 'I'm like an iguana, I adapt'
As the NBA evolves, so does Zach Randolph's game.
In today's NBA, it's commonplace for teams to try to spread the floor on offense by getting their bigs to step out and shoot threes, so the Memphis Grizzlies' 6-foot-9 power forward is planning to do more of that.
In Tuesday night's preseason win over the Philadelphia 76ers, the two-time All-Star recorded 17 points and eight rebounds as a reserve.
The most noteworthy part is he went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
"I'm like an iguana, I adapt," he told reporters postgame.
Coming off the bench and adding long-range shooting to his offensive arsenal represent two significant adaptations for the two-time All-Star.
Randolph has spent the majority of his career starting and operating in the post. He averages just half a 3-point attempt per game over his 15 seasons, hitting them at a 26 percent clip.
Memphis needs more than that from the veteran.
In an attempt to revive their bottom-10 offense - which was particularly woeful from long range, where they were 25th in attempts and 29th in percentage - the Grizzlies have asked Randolph and center Marc Gasol to take more shots on the perimeter.
So far, so good.