Troy Daniels was signed last summer to add some much needed shooting to the Grizzlies’ roster. That’s exactly what he did.
Troy Daniels has never found consistent minutes on any team he’s been on. The story didn’t change for him here in Memphis either.
Daniels averaged around 20 minutes per game and was mainly brought in when the Memphis Grizzlies needed a spark or were up big.
Although, Daniels did shine in some of the biggest moments of the year.
Offense
On the offensive side of the ball, Troy Daniels is nothing more than a sharpshooter.
He lacks the ability to create his own shot or do much of anything else.
To begin the season, TD couldn’t hit the water if he fell out a boat. Everybody was wondering “why in the world did we sign this guy?” That all changed pretty soon.
Daniels began to find his stroke later in the season, and the rest was history. In the “Nasty Nine” Era, Lou Williams and Troy Daniels went head-to-head in a shooting battle.
It was pretty awesome to see, especially from a Grizzlies fan perspective.
He also went on a shooting montage against the Oklahoma City Thunder, knocking down six three-pointers in one quarter.
The good thing about Daniels is he can give you instant offense at any moment. But, as said Daniels is a sharpshooter and nothing more. Troy Daniels is basically like Memphis weather. He could be hot, then all of the sudden he could be cold as the Colorado snow.
If Daniels is looking to find consistent minutes on this Grizzlies team, he has to work on facilitating the basketball and creating his own shot off the dribble.
Offensive Grade: C
Defense
Unfortunately, this is Troy Daniels’ biggest downfall. It’s the main reason, he couldn’t find consistent minutes this year.
Although there were improvements throughout the year with his defense, he was still such a liability. Fizdale couldn’t have him out there for long periods of time depending on match-ups.
He lacks the size to guard today’s shooting guards and the speed to keep up today’s point guards.
In addition to working on other aspects of his offensive game, he also needs to improve his defensive game tremendously.
Defensive Grade: D
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Final Grade: C
Usually a ‘C and a D’ don’t add up equal a ‘C’ average, but Daniels gets the benefit of the doubt. Troy Daniels played more with the Grizzlies than he has on any other team.
Coaches have always held Daniels’ minutes tight due to a limited offensive game and suspect defense. However, Coach Fizdale played more Troy more than any other coach in the past. His increase in minutes helped improve his overall game, something that was evident late in the season.
If Troy can find a way to somewhat improve his defense and learn how to create his own shot, “the ceiling is the roof!”