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Report Card: Grading the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2018-19 Season in Its Entirety

By AJ Salah

MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 10: The Memphis Grizzlies bench reacts to play during the game against the Golden State Warriors on April 10, 2019 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - APRIL 10: The Memphis Grizzlies bench reacts to play during the game against the Golden State Warriors on April 10, 2019 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Memphis Grizzlies
Bruno Caboclo Memphis Grizzlies (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Player Development: D+

It was a weird season for the Memphis Grizzlies, who should have been ushering a youth movement, but instead favored veterans in a number of roles, both pre- and post-trade deadline.

Dillon Brooks was unfortunately lost early in the season, stunting the growth of perhaps their best incumbent long-term prospect. Those left around him generally failed to deliver on any upside.

Andrew Harrison was gone within weeks. Wayne Selden continued to be uninspiring; he soon followed. JaMychal Green was a statistical carbon-copy of the previous season. Jevon Carter shot legendarily poorly during his rookie season. Kyle Anderson gave exactly what Memphis expected, and nothing more.

Related Story. Memphis Grizzlies: 3 Playoff Teams to Learn from in Their Rebuild. light

Nine-year veteran Garrett Temple was the team’s early over-performer, and he did not last the whole season in Memphis. There was a general lack of upward progress, at least until Delon Wright’s arrival (which does not really count here).

The one bright spot in the Memphis Grizzlies’ initial den of youngsters was Ivan Rabb, who showed flashes of athletic rebounding and soft short-range touch in a limited run. Bonus points also go to picking up Bruno Caboclo from the Raptors’ too-deep scrap heap, showing he might — finally — be “two years away.”

Baby steps from a maybe-rotation player and inconsistent spurts from a half-bust NBA Draft enigma are hardly enough to salvage Memphis’ lack of in-house growth this year.

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