Memphis Grizzlies: 15 best NBA Draft picks of all time
PG. 1998 - Round: 1 / Pick: 2. 7. player. Scouting Report. Mike Bibby. 211. Pick Analysis
Mike Bibby is another player whose career with the Grizzlies was solely in Vancouver.
The Grizzlies have drafted three players second overall. Bibby was the first and ended up spending three seasons with the team. The disparity between his career and the other two (Stromile Swift and Hasheem Thabeet) is so substantial that it almost inflates his accomplishments. But how fast he was gone is so depressing that it takes something away and leaves Bibby just feeling like a conundrum.
His scoring averages over three years were 13.2, 14.5 and 15.9 points per game. Bibby’s assists were equally impressive at 6.5, 8.1 and 8.4 per game. His production and consistent improvement over a three-year span are easily the best the Grizzlies have ever seen from a guard.
Again, it’s tough to separate how good he was from the disappointment over how quickly it came to an end. No matter how great the times together were, the fact that it didn’t last ultimately means that Bibby’s legacy is being “the one that got away”.
While you would never wish for anything bad to come his way, it still stung to see how quickly he moved on and how much better off he was after he left you. Bibby helped take the Sacramento Kings on several deep playoff runs. He was a really good passing and scoring point guard for a while. Thinking about where he started doesn’t feel great.
If he’d started wearing a headband in Vancouver and stuck around to become a center piece during the team’s tenure in Memphis, the trajectory of the franchise may have looked much different.