Mario Chalmers signed with the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason to be the backup point guard on a playoff contending team. That hasn’t been the case.
When Mario Chalmers signed with Memphis this offseason, he was supposed to be the backup point guard on a playoff-contending team. They even waived a first-round pick (Wade Baldwin) to keep him.
That hasn’t been the case, but he’s still been a decent contributor for the team. He has played well in some game, but as the Grizzlies look to tank, it’s possible they start to play more young guys and give more and more of his minutes to Andrew Harrison.
Pre All-Star Break Review
Mario Chalmers did a lot of nice things for this team. He’s been a nice veteran presence on a young team that’s currently in tank mode. His shooting percentages have been disappointing though. He’s shooting just 37.5 percent from the field and 27 percent from 3-point range.
Chalmers is an aging point guard who’s coming off an Achilles injury, but you still expected a little better play. You also expected a healthy Mike Conley to be the starting point guard and for this team to be in the playoff hunt.
Mario Chalmers has struggled in a lot of ways but he didn’t come here to have a big role. He came to be the backup point guard to star Mike Conley. When he got hurt everything went down the drain for this team, and it has affected the play of many guys, including Mario Chalmers. He averaged 7.7 points and 3.1 assists per game in his 50 games before the All-Star Break.
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Looking Ahead
The Memphis Grizzlies have every incentive to lose and look to the future the rest of the season. Many would think that means Chalmers won’t play a lot of minutes on this team. Younger guys like Andrew Harrison and Kobi Simmons could start to take more of his minutes.
Having a veteran point guard like Chalmers can still be a good thing for a tanking team like the Grizzlies. You want an older player to lead the young guy, even if the team is a bad one. With Mike Conley out for the season, Chalmers is the veteran guard on this team.
There is a good chance Chalmers does not come back next season. With all the younger guys on the team, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Grizzlies are starting a long rebuild, and it seems unlikely that Chalmers will be here for it.