As we all know, before the birth of the Wumo Ship, fans have long seen the power of the Wumo Bear. Since last season, the win rate of Mo Bear is 32-17, and although the win rate of Mo Bear this season is not as exaggerated as last season, the Grizzlies' roster depth is still much stronger than that of the Lakers.
So when the news came out before the G2 game that Morant couldn't play, there weren't many optimistic fans. After all, the Grizzlies are second in the West, and the Lakers have always been in the position of the lower dog, far from the time to let their guard down.
In today's loss to the Grizzlies, the Lakers saw the depth of the Grizzlies' roster. The Grizzlies' highest-scoring Tillman, who played just 22 minutes in the first game, scored 2 points on 1-of-4 shooting; Kennard, who was hard at the last time, opened today; Roddy, who played just nine minutes in his last game, made three three-pointers today.
The Grizzlies' strategy against thick eyebrows is still crazy, and the Lakers' three-point game today is obviously not as accurate as the first game. Thick Brow did little on the offensive end today, except for a few blocks.
The Grizzlies' defensive intensity is awesome, sometimes the Lakers obviously see that the inside line is small at the top of the thick eyebrows, but the ball just does not progress, a group of people staring at the position of the thick eyebrows to assist at any time. The Grizzlies are well aware of their ability to deal with pinch attacks, so they dare to pour their defensive resources into him.
In the third quarter of the game, when Thick Eyebrow was 1 of 10, a comparison given by the broadcaster was Tillman of the Grizzlies. Tillman scored 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting and 8-of-8 two-pointers. Tillman scored 22 points and 13 rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting, smashing the Lakers' interior and scoring a three-pointer.
I think a lot of people probably didn't know much about Tillman before, and the Grizzlies' interior depth has become a luxury because of Tillman's presence. For Tillman, this is not an overnight success, and those who can enter the NBA are not small people, and Tillman is no different.
Tillman, born in 1999, was 21 when he entered the 2020 draft, and is not technically a potential rookie. He was a four-star high school student in high school and spent three years at Michigan State University, modeled after his senior, Chasing Green.
Seeing that his template is dreaming, you can think of Tillman in college when he was good at defense and passing. The draft reports at the time almost unanimously agreed that he was the best big man in that pass, and senior Tillman averaged 10.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
He was also the Division Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Division All-Defensive First Team. As an interior lineman in his early 2s, Tillman has an arm span of 2.16 meters, and his downset strength is very strong, often able to block while holding opponents.
His stats aren't impressive, but he can do a lot of things on the field beyond statistics, cover, delay, assist, jam, and aggressively scramble. His physical talent is not top-notch, but you can always feel his boundless enthusiasm on the field.
Much of this passion comes from his family, from his young daughter. In his third year of high school, Tillman's girlfriend became pregnant unexpectedly, and in December 2016, Tillman welcomed his first daughter, Yanni.
The arrival of his daughter did not become a stumbling block to Tillman's basketball career, but made Tillman grow rapidly and become more mature. The birth of his daughter changed everything for Tillman, and from that day on, Tillman no longer played for himself, he wanted his daughter to have a better life.
When he entered college, he said goodbye to all junk food and replaced it with cereal, yogurt, and fruit. He keeps making himself stronger and makes his ability to fight on the field step by step.
Unlike his teammates, who only have to balance school and basketball, Tillman also has to juggle his own family. He wakes up early every day to make breakfast for his daughter, then goes to training and finishes school. He became a regular on the team in his sophomore year and made a name for himself in his junior year.
What many people don't know is that Zion's last college game, his opponent was Tillman. In the quarterfinals of the 2019 Mad Three, Michigan State faced the champion Duke, and Michigan won in the end.
In that game, the Fat Tiger had 24 points, 14 rebounds and 5 turnovers, and Tillman on the opposite side had 19 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. The two men had a long fight, and finally Tillman passed the assist to overtake the score.
Before entering the draft in 2020, Tillman welcomed his second child, and since then the burden on his shoulders has been heavier. He was eventually selected by the Grizzlies with the fifth pick of the second round, and his passing ability didn't seem to carry over to the NBA, but his other abilities continued to improve in the NBA.
Tillman is currently on his second-round rookie contract for $6.53 million for four years, with the 2023-24 season as a team option. Nights like today will undoubtedly make Tillman's next contract bigger, and his wife and children will have a better life because of such nights.
For a man, giving his family a better life is more important than anything else.