The best rookie seasons in Memphis Grizzlies’ history
By Ethan Becker
No. 3: Shane Battier (2001-02)
Right, so Shane Battier was the player who was in a category of his own. With 78 games played with just under 40 minutes a game average, Battier played a total of 3,096 minutes. Not only was that the highest on this list by almost 200 games (or about four full-length NBA games) but it’s the highest for any rookie in Grizzlies history.
In spite of those insane numbers, or more aptly because of them, I almost left Battier off this list. 14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game seem a little low for that amount of playing time, but in the end, they’re still phenomenal.
What’s a little more heartbreaking is that Battier’s rookie season was arguable his best. Despite winning two NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, Battier only averaged double digit point per game two more times in his career–with Memphis in 2005-06 and the Houston Rockets in 2006-07–and he only started every game he played two more times too. Coincidentally, both happened in the same seasons.