Memphis Grizzlies: Brandan Wright will thrive with a bigger role

Brandan Wright had a quiet 2016-17 season for the Memphis Grizzlies, but head coach David Fizdale has high expectations for Wright for his 2017-18 campaign.

During the team’s Media Day, the Memphis Grizzlies players made their appearances, but I have to say center Brandan Wright was the most soft spoken of all of them. He showed a different attitude from his exit interview at the end of last season. “I wanted a bigger role,” Wright said with pride. Looking back, I think Brandan directed that comment towards the coaching staff wasn’t right at the time.

Over the summer, Dave Fizdale strived to fix things. He even took a trip to Wright’s home in Nashville to clear the air on his role:

"“I went to his house for a weekend in Nashville. [And] we talked, of course it was not pretty, but we talked it out.”"

Wright was right. He could’ve brought an athletic feature to a gritty Grizzlies team down the stretch of last season. Fizdale knows, just like you and I know, Wright’s game is quiet just like his attitude. He’ll use his length to play solid defense, and he’ll give you six or seven rebounds off the bench.

I would say he’s a “typical” NBA center, but he’s not.

Wright brings much more to a team than the common big man. His athleticism is unlike majority of NBA centers. He has “bunnies” that shoot him above other 5’s, and his length gives guys no chance at blocking his shot. When he came to Memphis two summers ago, I said that his mid-range shooting is better than the statistics show.

So, yes, Brandan Wright did indeed deserve a bigger role coming down the stretch last season. However, he knows that he should have handled that a bit differently, and behind closed doors. Wright will be the backup center behind Marc Gasol and will thrive in Fizdale’s more up-tempo offense with guys like Mario Chalmers and Tyreke Evans. He’ll be a player who make this year’s Grizzlies more fun offensively.