Memphis Grizzlies: 15 players who defined Grit and Grind

Darrell Arthur is now entering his second decade in the NBA in 2018. He is on his third NBA team, as he will begin year 11 in the league as a member of the lowly Phoenix Suns. While nondescript on a national level, he did spend ample time both with the Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets after that.

Memphis traded for Arthur’s draft rights in 2008 with the then New Orleans Hornets. Arthur initially went No. 27 to the Hornets, but spent his first five professional seasons in Memphis. He was part of the rebuilding effort after Pau Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Arthur was part of the NCAA Championship team at Kansas alongside former Grizzlies point guard Mario Chalmers. While his NBA career up to this point hasn’t been anything special like his brief time in Kansas was, he did play his first four seasons over a five-year period in Memphis.

Arthur averaged 6.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game playing 18.2 minutes per contest. Though he never averaged double figures in scoring, his best statistical season came in 2010-11 while with Memphis. Arthur averaged 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while playing 20.1 minutes per game and appearing in 80.

Unfortunately, Arthur had to miss the entire 2011-12 NBA season due to an Achilles injury. He played 59 games in 2012-13 for Memphis, but wasn’t the same player. Though he would receive a qualifying offer from the Grizzlies in his restricted free agency, he would be traded to the Denver Nuggets along with Joffrey Lauvergne for Kosta Koufos in June 2013.

Arthur played the next five seasons from 2013 to 2018 with the Nuggets in mostly a reserve role. Though he appeared in 256 games for Denver, he only started in 29. When compared to his time in Memphis, it was pretty clear Denver never looked at him as a fringe starter like the Grizzlies did. He might have started 64 games as a rookie, but only started 13 in his final four years with Memphis.

Overall, Arthur was mostly seen as an offensive liability during his time with Memphis. However, he was slightly above average on the defensive end of the floor. Memphis could count on Arthur to crash the boards and come up with the big defensive rebound coming off the bench.

“Grit and Grind” was in its beginning stages when Arthur was on the time. He might have been traded to the Nuggets when this era of Memphis basketball was at its peak. However, Arthur’s workmanlike approach to playing forward, getting buckets in the paint and coming up with the big rebound definitely helped set the tone for things to come.