Why point guard depth behind Ja Morant is the biggest Memphis Grizzlies question mark
One word comes to mind when remembering the 2023-24 Memphis Grizzlies season. Well, maybe two, but they're inextricably linked.
Injuries. Availability.
But maybe there's a word being left out. What about "excuses"?
No, not for the second half of the season. Prime LeBron James or Michael Jordan likely wouldn't even have been able to carry those Grizzlies post-trade deadline rosters to the playoffs. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, Steven Adams, Marcus Smart and Xavier Tillman Sr. were among the players who had been expected to play important roles, but ended up getting injured or traded.
Now back to excuses. What often gets lost in the conversation are the struggles at the start of the season. Morant was suspended for the first 25 games by the NBA for conduct detrimental to the league; the Grizzlies lost their first six and seven out of eight games. Smart, Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. all played heavy minutes.
Simply put, the Grizzlies were bad without Morant. In the two previous seasons, he missed a combined 46 games. Point guard Tyus Jones started in 45 of those and led Memphis to an astounding 32-13 record.
The team traded Jones to Washington in June 2023, but failed to adequately replace him. The losses were compounded by the toll injuries took on the roster. That can't be the case if the Grizzlies — who went 27-55 last season — want to achieve their goals in 2024-25.
Numbers with and without Ja Morant
Morant's dynamic playmaking and ability to draw the attention of defenses makes the game easier for teammates. When the Grizzlies started 1-8, the win was the only game where the team shot 50% or better from the field. In Morant's nine games played before he had season-ending shoulder surgery, the Grizzlies reached that total four times and went 4-0 in those matchups. They went 6-3 overall with Morant.
Even when the Grizzlies won games without Morant, it was mostly due to defense. They had a 107.2 team offensive rating, while Morant finished with a 115.7 rating. When he was on the floor with Bane and Smart, Memphis had a 111.6 offensive rating and +6.4 net rating in six games.
Lineups containing Smart, Bane and Jackson had a 105.7 offensive rating and a -3.0 net rating in 19 games.
Can Derrick Rose, Scotty Pippen Jr. solve Grizzlies' biggest question mark?
The two easiest plug-and-play candidates are Derrick Rose and Scotty Pippen Jr. There rightfully are questions about Rose's availability after he appeared in only 24 games last season, but he displayed effective burst and playmaking ability when healthy.
Pippen was a bright spot in the second half of the season, but he never got much of an opportunity to play with the team's biggest stars.
The Grizzlies likely will need to stagger their stars in lineups with the backup point guards to maximize the surrounded talent. If Rose is the backup, that would mean allowing him to play minutes with Bane and Jackson when Morant goes to the bench.
The Grizzlies had a -0.1 net rating in 101 minutes last season when Rose shared the floor with Bane and Jackson. If the veteran can maintain a similar output this season, that would mean he did his job.
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Non-traditional options
If the Rose or Pippen experiments fail, there's the option of using Smart or Bane instead. Both players are better suited for off the ball roles but are capable of playing point guard. Smart started the season there during Morant's suspension. As stated earlier, the numbers with Smart, Bane and Jackson weren't great, but the veteran guard also didn't get much preseason time to learn their games while he was dealing with an abdominal injury.
Bane was often a bright spot when playing on the ball, but his shooting numbers took a slight dip as a result of defenses being able to key on him more as the primary option. Considering how much the Grizzlies need Bane's shooting, putting him on the ball presents a give-or-take scenario.
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: Derrick Rose, Scotty Pippen Jr. will be key Grizzlies if no Ja Morant
