The Memphis Grizzlies are set to welcome back two former players as Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green are playing their first game in Memphis since they were traded.
The Memphis Grizzlies will be welcoming back JaMychal Green and Garrett Temple as they both will be making their returns to Memphis on Friday as the Grizzlies will be welcoming the Los Angeles Clippers to town.
Temple and Green are currently in the 8th spot in the Western Conference with their new team and despite the Clippers recent trade of Tobias Harris they fully intend to compete to keep that spot and try to move up in the standings.
The Grizzlies, on the other hand, are trying to win enough games so they’re able to convey their pick. Both Temple and Green are free agents this summer but it’s good to see them still being able to compete for a playoff spot.
Both of these two players received way to much hate from Grizzlies fans during their time with the team. Green was an undrafted player who continued to improve and became a very good player that this team was able to rely on off the bench as well as in some games as a starter.
He was critical in a big road win over the New Orleans Pelicans. In that game, he finished with a team-high 24 points to go along with eight rebounds and two steals. A big part of the reason he had such a big role was foul trouble to Jaren Jackson Jr. He made 9-12 of his shot attempts including 3-4 from three-point range.
That has been an issue in a lot of games this season and Green typically took advantage when he was given extended minutes. He continually played with high energy and often led the second unit on key runs to help extend the lead or get the Grizzlies back into games if the starters were struggling.
Temple’s time in Memphis was much shorter but he too had some good moments. His game really struggled in the most recent couple of months before the trade but that’s just because expectations were too high. He had never been a good starter in his career, he is just a good role player that was forced into a larger role.
Temple’s best game as a member of the Grizzlies was by far in the home opener against the Atlanta Hawks. In that game, he finished with 30 points on 10-11 shooting including 5-6 from three-point range.
That game was a big part of the reason he had such high expectations coming into the season. The Grizzlies role players played extremely well to start the season and were the main ingredient in the team’s early-season success. When those players went back to their normal play they took a lot of the blame when they didn’t deserve much of, if any of it.
The Grizzlies traded for Avery Bradley in this deal and he is off to a really good start in Memphis. He had a career-high 33 points in a 108-107 loss against the San Antonio Spurs. It is similar to Temple’s performance against the Hawks.
Fans are excited that Bradley could be a key piece going forward and while that may be true he also really struggled with the Clippers so we’ll need to see him play well on a consistent basis.
Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green weren’t star players for the Grizzlies by any means but they still deserve a warm welcome in their return to Memphis. It will be good to see them return so soon and we all wish them the best of luck during their playoff push, as well as the rest of their NBA careers.