Memphis Grizzlies: How to Address the Small Forward Surplus
By Jack Donlon
The Top Tier
Andre Iguodala’s days with the Grizzlies may be numbered, but while he is here, his value is immense. We all watched Iguodala’s gutsy performance in the 2019 NBA Finals, including his cold-blooded game-winner against Toronto in Game 2. Andre’s not the type of player, especially at age 35, who will go out and get you 17 points and seven rebounds every night, but he is a hard-nosed defender, a proven winner, and a wily veteran who can help lead a young locker room.
Kyle Anderson is awesome. Another defensive-minded player with long arms and a high basketball IQ, “Slow-Mo” averaged 8.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 43 games with Memphis last season, before he went down with a shoulder injury. Kyle’s impact on the game goes beyond stats; he can play the two, three, and occasionally the four, and his long arms and sneaky hands always seem to find the ball in traffic. If Anderson is healthy, he is an impact-maker on this young Grizzlies roster.
Jae Crowder sort of got glossed over in discussions about the trade this summer that sent Mike Conley to Utah, but the man can ball. Crowder averaged 11.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season for the Jazz in a role that required him to come off the bench for most of the season. In fact, during his two year, 107-game stint in Utah, Crowder only started 11 games, but he averaged nearly 12 points. Though he is only a career 34% three-point shooter, Crowder is a versatile scorer, and HE TWEETS IN ALL CAPS LIKE THIS, which simultaneously scares and inspires me.