The best rookie seasons in Memphis Grizzlies’ history

No. 1: Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996-97)

Arguably the best rookie season in the Grizzlies history, and it didn’t happen in Memphis.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim was selected with the third overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. And, at first, it seemed like a promising partnership. Abdur-Rahim averaged 18.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from 3 point range. While that 3 point number looks small now, back in that era, it was almost unheard of for a big man to shoot that well from deep.

Strangely, Abdur-Rahim isn’t remembered too well by modern NBA fans or media members. This is the case despite him averaging over 20 points per game for most of his career, and even then the only time his scoring numbers dipped below double digits was in his final two seasons. Even with those numbers, Abdur-Rahim only made the All-Star game once.

The main reason Abdur-Rahim isn’t remembered well is probably due to the fact he always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the beginning stages of his career he was with the Vancouver Grizzlies, who at that time were still a struggling expansion team.

In 2001, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, but those Hawks weren’t really able to pair him with any other stars, and they never did perform too well. In the mid-2000’s he made his way back to the Western Conference, but there he had to deal with the Lakers and Spurs dynasties.