The Memphis Grizzlies have had a tough season with almost every player being injured. While this year seems like a lost cause, it does give opportunities to young players and new acquisitions to prove themselves as role players for next season. This could be very good in the long run because it could add much needed contributors to the bench when all the starters come back healthy.
Yuta Watanabe was recently brought over in a trade with the Pheonix Suns. He was born in Japan and went to college at George Washington. He went undrafted but was signed by the Grizzlies in 2018, so this will be his second stint with the team. He is a 6’9 forward that emerged as a sharpshooter with the Nets in 2022 where he shot 44% from three on 2.3 attempts per game.
Scotty Pippen Jr. was signed by the Grizzlies on a 2-way deal. He is the son of the Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen and went to the University of Vanderbilt. He went undrafted and was signed by the Lakers in 2022 but didn’t see much playing time. He is a quick and crafty point guard and in his 8 games for the Grizzlies, he has averaged 10.3 points and 4.5 assists a game while shooting 56.5% from three.
Trey Jemison was also signed by the Grizzlies on a 2-way deal. He is an undrafted rookie out of UAB. He’s a 6’11 center that can get rebounds and block shots. He’s played 6 games with the Grizzlies so far and has averaged 4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game.
Lamar Stevens was recently brought over in a trade with the Celtics. He went to college at Penn State and was undrafted in 2020. He signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the Boston Celtics. He started 25 games for the Cavaliers in 2022 and averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He is a 6’6 forward and has averaged 12 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the two games he has played for the Grizzlies.
Jordan Goodwin was signed by the Grizzlies on a 10-day contract and has played just one game for them. He is a 6’3 guard that went undrafted in 2021 and signed with the Washington Wizards. In 2022 he played in 62 games and started 7 of them. He averaged 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. This season he has been on the Phoenix Suns where he had a decent role off the bench playing 14 minutes per game. In his one game with the Grizzlies so far, he had 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Perhaps most notably, GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr have sustained a very high level of play for months now. Williams has filled in the Dillon Brooks role on defense, while providing efficient offense. GG Jackson, who was the number one high school prospect in the class of 2023 before reclassifying last year, has shown why he was so highly touted as a high schooler. The Grizzlies signed both players to team-friendly, long-term contracts during the season.
When healthy, the Grizzlies lineup hypothetically consists of Ja Morant and Marcus Smart as the guards, Desmond Bane and Vince Williams as the forwards and Jaren Jackson Jr. at center. They will also have Brandon Clarke, Luke Kennard, Derrick Rose and Santi Aldama off the bench. This leaves a few positions for these new additions and other young players such as Ziaire Williams, GG Jackson, Jake Laravia and Jacob Gilyard to compete for.
While this season has been hard for Grizzlies fans, it may be exactly what the team needs to be ready to contend for an NBA championship in the years to come.
