The Grizzlies are off to a 4-2 start in 2018-19.
Jason Munz, Southern Miss Sports Writer
Start with the funky jump shot because it's usually the first clue that Omri Casspi is unlike anyone else in the Memphis Grizzlies locker room.
The shooting motion begins with Casspi dipping the ball below his waist, almost to his knees. His arms then rise past his chest parallel to his chin for the release, almost like an elephant swinging his trunk up and spraying water.
It’s unorthodox and, frankly, ugly.
But “that funny-looking 3, it goes in,” guard Garrett Temple said.
There is, after all, only one player on the Grizzlies roster who shot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc three of the past four seasons.
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And there is only one Jewish basketball player in the NBA this year, according to a database of Jewish athletes maintained by Gratz College.
Meet 30-year-old Omri Casspi.
“He’s not your typical NBA player, that’s for sure,” Temple said.
How Omri Casspi is different
The typical NBA player doesn’t spend his offseason investing in an Israeli startup company that uses analysis of gut bacteria to make nutritional recommendations on a smartphone app.
The typical NBA player isn’t part of an ownership group trying to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team to Sacramento.
The typical NBA player isn’t born in Israel, and doesn’t discuss police brutality, race relations and religion during plane flights with his teammates.
“He asks questions, honestly, to try to understand things about America instead of just thinking whatever he believes is true,” said Temple, who also played with Casspi in Sacramento for two seasons.
In today's political climate, when nobody can seem to agree on what’s fact and what’s opinion anymore, isn’t that refreshing to hear?
It’s why Casspi never runs away from the label of being the NBA’s first Israeli-born player. He wants to be known and remembered for what he does on the court, but also what he stood for off it.
It’s why, every year, Casspi convinces NBA players and other celebrities to visit Israel for goodwill trips, to support his foundation and show them what it's like where he grew up just outside Tel Aviv.
It’s why I asked the 10-year veteran earlier this week how he felt about the awful shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue last Sunday that left 11 dead.
“Obviously, it’s sad and unfortunate,” Casspi said. “I can’t call America a racist country or anti-Semitic, but there is some anti-Semitic people out there, too. We got to take precautions and care. Our family stays involved in the community. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere, so you’ve got to take extra caution and make sure you’re seeing what’s going on around you.”
In Memphis, Casspi discovered what he called a “warm and united” Jewish community.
Rabbis, season-ticket holders and Grizzlies’ minority owners all reached out to him once he signed a one-year, $2.2-million contract this offseason, inviting his family to dinner and to observe the high holidays this fall. Casspi, his wife and his daughter are already actively involved with the Memphis Jewish Community Center.
What Omri Casspi means to the Grizzlies
But Casspi’s signing this offseason was mostly overlooked around town. Fans were more intrigued by the acquisition of Temple via trade, or the addition of restricted agent Kyle Anderson.
And yet it’s Casspi who had the best plus/minus (+37) of the Grizzlies’ reserves entering Friday’s game at Utah, and it’s Casspi who will be the only member of the team with an NBA championship ring as of Monday.
Golden State will present him with one when Memphis concludes its three-game road trip with a game against the Warriors Monday night.
But he never actually took part in the Warriors’ postseason run, and it continued an unfortunate distinction. No active player in the NBA has appeared in more regular season games without playing in an NBA playoff game than Casspi.
Golden State released him on April 7, with just two regular-season games remaining. NBA rules dictated that he couldn’t sign with another team at that late of a date. Steve Kerr said at the time he “felt awful” about the decision, but the team needed to make room on its roster for Quinn Cook because Steph Curry was injured.
Casspi called the situation “tough” and “bittersweet,” but he’s also looking forward to Monday.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of meaning,” he said. “First of all, it’s important to feel appreciated from an organization standpoint. And I cherish my memories from this group of guys. Just at the end of the day, I’m very thankful to be in that position to be a part of that championship team.”
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On this Grizzlies team, Casspi is taking on an important role for a thin front court that’s currently missing JaMychal Green. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff appreciates that “he knows who he is and what he’s going to give you, and he doesn’t step outside of that box.”
Casspi is a player who can go entire games without playing and still be effective whenever he does, who thrives on cuts, guts and guile. He started 11 times for Golden State last year, and averaged 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds in those appearances.
Temple says "even in practice, you don’t really see it. But in the game, he’s a guy that can just make things happen."
As for that 3-point motion, Casspi insists it’s simply how he’s always shot the ball. He’s never really considered changing it.
Why mess with a good thing?
"That’s who I am,” Casspi said. “It might look a little different, but it goes in."