Why the Grizzlies should re-sign Mario Chalmers
The Memphis Grizzlies need to fortify their bench. Currently, they are projected to make the playoffs, but in a conference as deep as the West, bench production can make or break a team. Mario Chalmers is still available and should be re-signed to help strengthen the Grizzlies’ second unit.
The Grizzlies have had an eventful offseason. Re-signing Mike Conley was definitely the priority and adding Chandler Parsons was a great move as well. On top of that, the Grizzlies drafted both Wade Baldwin IV and Deyonta Davis and signed Andrew Harrison to inject some youth. However, the bench still needs some work, especially in a tough Western Conference. Right now, the bench backcourt includes the aforementioned Harrison and Baldwin, along with a soon to be 40-year-old Vince Carter and Tony Wroten. Mario Chalmers would be a welcome addition to provide some stability and scoring when Conley has to come off the court—that is, once he’s fully healthy.
“Super Mario”
Look, Mario Chalmers is an easy target for jokes. He has become a popular meme on Reddit and has been publicly shamed by LeBron and other teammates so much, that even President Obama got in on the joke. However, he has always been a serviceable point guard.
| Season | Tm | G | PER | TS% | AST% | STL% | TOV% | USG% | OBPM | DBPM | BPM ▼ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | MEM | 55 | 18.0 | .570 | 27.0 | 3.3 | 16.2 | 22.3 | 2.3 | -0.4 | 1.9 |
| 2015-16 | MIA | 6 | 9.5 | .437 | 22.3 | 3.4 | 19.3 | 17.8 | -3.1 | 0.8 | -2.3 |
| 2015-16 | TOT | 61 | 17.3 | .561 | 26.6 | 3.3 | 16.4 | 21.9 | 1.8 | -0.3 | 1.5 |
| 2014-15 | MIA | 80 | 11.7 | .521 | 21.0 | 2.7 | 18.2 | 18.9 | -0.6 | -0.4 | -1.0 |
| 2013-14 | MIA | 73 | 14.0 | .567 | 24.3 | 2.9 | 20.4 | 17.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| 2012-13 | MIA | 77 | 13.3 | .576 | 19.4 | 3.0 | 17.1 | 16.1 | 1.3 | -0.2 | 1.1 |
| 2011-12 | MIA | 64 | 13.0 | .578 | 19.0 | 2.8 | 20.7 | 17.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 |
| 2010-11 | MIA | 70 | 10.3 | .538 | 16.8 | 2.5 | 18.0 | 15.0 | -0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
| 2009-10 | MIA | 73 | 10.7 | .519 | 21.0 | 2.7 | 19.7 | 16.3 | -0.7 | 0.3 | -0.4 |
| 2008-09 | MIA | 82 | 13.3 | .548 | 23.5 | 3.3 | 18.1 | 16.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 |
As you can see, before going down to injury last year, Chalmers was having one of the best (if not the best) years of his career. He had the highest box plus/minus, assist percentage, player efficiency rating and the lowest turnover percentage of his career, all while having his highest usage percentage. Basically, Chalmers touched the ball more and it went well.
Stats also show that Memphis was better last year when Conley and Chalmers shared the backcourt. According to Ian Pierno’s article earlier in the week:
"A combination of Mike Conley and Mario Chalmers not only had a better offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) than the 73-win Warriors, but led a unit with a net rating (offensive rating minus defensive rating) 6.7 points higher"
If you had a group that produced better than the historically-great Warriors, wouldn’t you want to try and get that group back together?
For those of us that prefer the eye test, look at the video below. Just from watching Chalmers’ game last year, you can see that he belongs in the league. One could also argue that Chalmers possesses the “clutch gene”, which he has shown since college. Whether or not you believe being clutch is a thing, Chalmers is not afraid of the big moment.
Chalmers may lose some of the activeness that he played with once his achilles heals, but he can still be a distributor and knockdown shooter, which Memphis definitely needs. He is
What does Memphis have?
Currently, Tony Wroten is the second point guard on the depth chart. Wroten is young (23 years old) and could still have some potential. However, last year, he only managed to play in eight games for Philadelphia after recovering from a torn ACL. His advanced stats were….not good to say the least:
Yes, I know that eight games isn’t any sort of sample size, but in the Western Conference, the whole team has to bring it every night. There’s no indication that Wroten can produce at a serviceable level. Wroten will have a chance to redeem himself come training camp, but during his eight games last year, he just didn’t look right. He may need some more time to sit in the D-League and get his game back before he can really contribute.
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The other guards who could handle point guard duties would be Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin IV, who have yet to suit up for an NBA game.
Baldwin is the apparent heir and is probably the reason Memphis hasn’t signed another guard. However, if Baldwin gets his chance and flops, or simply has rookie jitters, it could harm Memphis’ shot at home-court in the first round. Wouldn’t it make sense to add another point guard in advance in case things don’t work out?
Go get Mario
If Memphis truly wants to compete, they need some veterans who they can lean upon. Matthew Dellavedova was instrumental in helping Cleveland get past Golden State to win the finals. The year prior, Shaun Livingston was huge for the Warriors. A solid backup point guard is a necessity these days. What is holding Memphis back from signing someone who has playoff experience and is a proven commodity? I’m certain that Mario Chalmers would be a great signing and could help Memphis in their playoff push. If they don’t act soon, someone else just might.