Memphis Grizzlies 2016-17 Player Review: Andrew Harrison
By JD McMillian
As the Memphis Grizzlies’ season has come to an end, it is time to start giving the final grades for each of player. How did Andrew Harrison fare this year?
Andrew Harrison was thrown into the fire from the start of the season. At first, it wasn’t looking very good. However, that was expected from a rookie backup point guard on a playoff-contending team like the Memphis Grizzlies. As the year went on, Harrison showed flashes of being a good backup point guard, but he also struggled mightily.
As Mike Conley’s backup, Harrison averaged 5.9 points, 2.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds. Those numbers aren’t great, but his defense and intangibles won him the backup point guard spot.
Offense
On the offensive side of the ball, Andrew Harrison was up and down. He shot 32.5 percent from the field, 27.6 percent from behind the 3-point line and 76.3 percent from the free throw line. To be a reliable backup point guard in the NBA, these numbers must increase.
When running the offense, Andrew Harrison looked promising at times, which is why he was better fit for the role over fellow rookie Wade Baldwin. Harrison turned the ball over 1.1 times and dished 2.8 assist per game. Again not great numbers as a backup, but he did get the job done for the most part this year.
In 72 games, Harrison eclipsed double-figure mark in points only 14 times. He scored a career-high of 21 points on November 30th against the Toronto Raptors. He never dished out more than ten assists, which is understandable for a backup guard.
The backup point guard spot is to lose going into next year. On top of that, his offensive should improve.
Offensive Grade: C-
Related Story: Grizzlies: Top 10 Plays of the Season
Defense
Andrew Harrison seemed to thrive on the defensive side of the basketball. As a 6’6″ point guard, Harrison used his height as an advantage over shorter opponents.
Even though he didn’t average over a steal a game, Harrison improved defensively as the season went on. The front office tried the Toney Douglas experiment, and it failed miserably. As Douglas’ production faded, Andrew Harrison really proved why he should be Mike Conley’s backup.
Because of Harrison’s defense, it’ll be hard for the Memphis Grizzlies to look elsewhere for a second-string point guard. Every Grizzlies fan has seen what kind of defense Harrison brings to this team, and every one of you remember his chase-down block of Chris Paul in one of the most exciting regular season games of the year. Harrison’s most recent defensive heroics came in Game 4 against the Spurs. Here it is for those of you who have somehow forgotten about it;
That chase-down block doesn’t define what kind of player Andrew Harrison is, but it should show you how much heart he plays with and how he will put everything on the line for this team.
I love seeing Harrison play good, hard-nosed defense, but he could get even better.
Defensive Grade: B+
Next: Harrison is the Grizzlies' Rookie of the Year
Final Grade: C
I have been extremely hard on Andrew Harrison from the start of the year all the way until the end of Game 6 of the playoffs. Despite that, he’s growing on me, and he’s shown that he should be the backup point guard for this team.
A full offseason in the gym and with guys like Marc Gasol and Mike Conley should further his development.
This won’t be the last you see of Andrew Harrison. The kid can play.