One . . . two . . . three . . .

At that count, Memphis Grizzlies players should have already transitioned from the opposing side of a 94-foot basketball floor to the offensive 3-point line. That's one of the team's biggest goals while incorporating a new offense, centered on a pace that would make this season's squad the fastest in franchise history.

Marcus Smart is a 10-year NBA veteran, and he has never played this fast in the league. Santi Aldama has never played at this pace in his basketball life.

"It's been a minute since college that I've played this fast," Smart said. "We play fast, I'm used to playing fast. We have set plays and things like that, but there's no need to run them if you're getting down the floor. That's our motto."

Playing fast is nothing new for the Grizzlies under coach Taylor Jenkins, and his five seasons have aligned with Ja Morant's tenure in the NBA. Memphis was top three in the league in transition scoring in each of their first four seasons. The Grizzlies finished at the bottom in transition scoring last season, but that feels more like an outlier because Morant played only nine games and the team dealt with an abundance of injuries.

Taking away last season, Memphis finished fifth, third, eighth and sixth in the NBA in pace the previous four seasons. Pace is best described as total possessions by each team in a game divided by two. They are the only seasons in franchise history where the Grizzlies had a pace above 100, meaning essentially they and their opponents both averaged more than 100 possessions.

Now, Jenkins says the Grizzlies "definitely" want to play faster.

"Obviously playing with Ja, you play super fast," Aldama said. "Now that they're emphasizing pace and we got Ja and we got Des (Bane), we're going to have to move way faster. It's going to take some adjustments."

Grizzlies aiming for historic transition offense

Jenkins admits that the emphasis on pace is asking a lot of his players. But then again, "speed's the name of the game right now," he said.

The players and coaches have talked about the idea of sustaining this up-tempo brand of basketball over the course of 82 games. NBA games will naturally get slower throughout the season as wear and tear takes its toll. That's when the Grizzlies hope to use their track-like style to break away from the competition.

"You definitely got to be more conditioned for this," Luke Kennard said.

The offense starts with a defensive stop. Taking the ball out of the net slows down the pace.

When Memphis gets defensive stops, it's time to get the rebound and go. Morant, Bane, Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. all have the green light in the projected starting lineup to initiate offense after a rebound. From that point, it's a full-on sprint to create easy looks against a defense that hasn't been set.

This sounds simple in theory; the task is much easier said than done. The fast pace makes you more susceptible to turnovers and giving up transition baskets on the other end of the floor.

"We got to get five guys moving at the same speed," Jenkins said. "That's kind of the end game."

The speed doesn't stop after transition

When the Grizzlies can't score in transition, that doesn't mean they plan to slow down. A combination of collective movement and spacing is being emphasized to keep the pressure on defenses.

Half-court offense has been arguably the Grizzlies' biggest offensive weakness in the Jenkins-Morant era. Jenkins emphasized improving this area specifically by hiring Toumas IIsalo to lead the offense, and they're using some of the similar pace principles as the transition offense.

"Defenses are good for like five, six seconds," Aldama said. "After that, players get tired. The more random the movement is for the defense, it'll be better for us."

Memphis wants 3-pointers and layups on offense. That has been the case for most of Jenkins' tenure, but the way in getting them is changing.

The Grizzlies have four ways they want to create advantages: pace, cutting, driving and screening. Cutting and passing will be important when the Grizzlies are in what they call "neutral," which is when a team has the Grizzlies in a position where they can't drive.

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Memphis has been more active with cuts and movement throughout the preseason, but chemistry will be a key factor. Players will have to be careful not to cut during a teammate's driving opportunity, or sealing a defender under the basket while a teammate is cutting.

More cutting and offensive movement should lead to more players being in an offensive rhythm. Aldama and Jake LaRavia are among the players who have pointed out how the new system better fits their skill sets than in previous years.

“I feel like in the past, we were more just in the corner, standing there waiting on stuff to happen," Aldama said. "I think now we are going to be more engaged. Everybody is going to revolve around everything . . . The more actions you generate in a single offense, the more likely you’re going to find an advantage at a certain point."

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies offense expected to be fastest in franchise history