Kendall Marshall deserves a shot with the Memphis Grizzlies

After more pit stops in four years than the average NBA player sees in their entire career, Kendall Marshall should have Memphis as a potential landing destination to jump-start his career.

Imagine this: you’re drafted 13th overall in the NBA draft. The team tells you how you fit into its vision for the future and your eyes are full of joy. You’ve made it. Your dreams are coming true. All of your family and friends have bought your jersey. Now imagine this, four full seasons later and you’ve just switched teams for the sixth time in your career. After being waived less than 24 hours after the latest trade, you’re back on the market. Welcome to the life of Kendall Marshall.

He’ll tell you himself, it’s really quite the story:

Now, with his briefcase packed up and a point to prove, Marshall is ready to search for his next gig. If Memphis extends an offer to him, it would be a solid match for both parties.

Currently, the Grizzlies have Mike Conley, Tony Wroten and Wade Baldwin IV as available point guards. Andrew Harrison, who spent last year with the Iowa Energy in the NBA D-League, is likely to receive a call-up at some point in the season, too.

However, Marshall could still have a place in the Grizzlies organization, even if it’s at the D-League level. None of the point guards listed above, with the exception of the $153 million dollar man in Conley, are guaranteed (productive) minutes in the Grizzlies’ rotation. Memphis loses nothing by handing Marshall a one-year minimum contract and moving him between the first team and the D-League affiliate in Des Moines.

What Marshall brings to the table

Marshall made a name for himself at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a passer, averaging 9.8 assists per game his sophomore season. That craftiness setting up his teammates has translated to the NBA, with Marshall’s career assist percentage standing at a very solid 37.1 percent. In 54 games with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2013-2014, that number peaked at an astounding 44.3 percent, putting him at second in the league behind only Chris Paul and at a sizable margin over third-place finisher John Wall. That’s 11.0 assists per 36 minutes. Not shabby.

To compare, Conley’s career assist percentage is only 27.9 percent.

Marshall hasn’t been a truly efficient scorer, posting a .489 true shooting percentage over the course of his career. However, that’s still .001 higher than Wroten, whose main attribute as a player is his scoring ability (18.8 points per 36 minutes the course of his career).

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Marshall has never been a high-volume scorer, but that’s what Memphis needs. His career usage rate is even lower than Tony Allen’s.

Despite his deficiencies in creating his own shots and driving the ball, Marshall does excel as a solid 3-point shooter, shooting at a solid .370 clip over the past four seasons. That’s about on par with Conley’s .373 mark and vastly higher than Wroten’s. Not saying he could fill the Courtney Lee role, but Marshall can be plugged in as a shooting guard, where he’s actually played 77 percent of his minutes each of the past two years after playing point guard 85 percent of the time his rookie and sophomore seasons.

Feb 3, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kendall Marshall (5) and guard Nik Stauskas (11) talks during a break against the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center. The Atlanta Hawks won 124-86.Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

With Wroten being an inconsistent, high-usage player on a team that isn’t going to give him the freedom he had on Sam Hinkie’s Philadelphia 76ers, there’s a chance Marshall could fight for the No. 2 job on the Grizzlies’ depth chart if Baldwin IV needs some time to develop.

Memphis loses nothing if it doesn’t pan out, Marshall would still be a great fit on the Iowa Energy, but have a lot to gain given its extreme lack of depth off the bench. C’mon Chris Wallace, pick up the phone.

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