Grizzlies players review: Santi Aldama teases potential, Xavier Tillman Sr. steps up

The Memphis Grizzlies had one of the deepest frontcourts in the NBA last season, and they needed every piece of that depth.

Injuries led to the frontcourt going from a strength to signing Kenneth Lofton Jr. to a standard deal to add depth in the postseason. In the end, Memphis relied on Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman Sr. and Santi Aldama in a first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, and L.A. center Anthony Davis ended up being the best player in the series.

With Jackson missing the beginning of the season, Adams getting injured in late January and Brandon Clarke tearing an Achilles tendon in March, the Grizzlies didn’t get to see the potential of their frontcourt for long spurts.

In this Grizzlies review, we’ll focus on Tillman, Aldama and Clarke’s roles this past season.

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Brandon Clarke

Instant offense has been a strength of Clarke’s since entering the NBA. Rarely do the Grizzlies have to call a play for him, and before you know it, he’ll have 12 points with maybe two missed shots. Clarke pretty much abandoned the 3-point shot this past season and focused on his inside scoring. The result was a career-high field goal percentage. Even though his 6-foot-8 height is tailored more for the power forward position, the Grizzlies love the pressure he puts on defenses as a rim-running lob threat. That’s why lineups with Clarke playing alongside Aldama and Jackson created better offensive flow than Clarke playing with Tillman or Adams. Clarke is basically a center in a power forward's body, so having another big on the floor that’s an above average shooter yielded strong results.

Santi Aldama

Aldama’s season started with his being thrown into a starting spot while Jackson was sidelined at the beginning of the season. He stepped up on the offensive end, but he had multiple physical and mental defensive breakdowns while getting adjusted. Aldama’s offensive skills as a shooter, playmaker and scoring stood out in stretches. The next important step for him is getting stronger. Several opponents had success by attacking the body of the 7-foot Aldama and negating any chance he had at blocking shots. Aldama displayed a natural feel on offense, but there is room for him to become more efficient. Aldama shot 59.1% on two-point attempts, but more than half of his shots came on 3-pointers.

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Tillman had one of the biggest rollercoaster seasons on the team and possibly in the league. He played for the Grizzlies in the Summer League, G League and ended the season guarding LeBron James late in the fourth quarter of playoff games. Extended playing time allowed Tillman to carve out a more defined role. He developed a short floater as his go-to shot. As a result, Tillman shot a career-high 61.4% from the field after shooting 45.4% the previous season. Defensive versatility is where Tillman stood out. He guarded James, Kawhi Leonard and other forwards as well as centers like Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic. When Adams went down, Memphis wasn't able to replicate his strong rebounding numbers, but Tillman allowed the Grizzlies to switch more late in games and force opponents to beat Memphis with isolation scoring.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies: Santi Aldama has potential, Xavier Tillman steps up