Memphis Grizzlies: Where does Brandon Clarke stand this offseason?

The Memphis Grizzlies saw improvements from almost every single player on their listed roster. In fact, the argument could be made that there were only two players who didn’t improve — Justise Winslow and Brandon Clarke.

Today, we’ll focus on the second of those listed players.

In his rookie season in 2019-20, Clarke was one of the most surprising rookies in the league, establishing himself as one of the best players in his class. With no real additions at his position during the offseason, year two was expected to be a big jump for the former Gonzaga forward.

That jump would never happen. Or so we thought.

On the surface, Memphis Grizzlies F Brandon Clarke regressed in his second year

Brandon Clarke entered year two with the Memphis Grizzlies as one of the most promising young players on the team. Somehow, that wouldn’t end up panning out. But he didn’t regress badly, it just seemed like the rest of the team took huge strides forward, while Clarke was left in the dust.

Here’s a comparison of his stats from year to year.

• 2019-20 (22.4 MPG): 12.1 PPG, 1.4 APG, 5.9 RPG, 61.8% FG, 35.9% 3PT FG
• 2020-21 (24.0 MPG): 10.3 PPG, 1.6 APG, 5.6 RPG, 51.7% FG, 26.0% 3PT FG

In almost every single important offensive category, Clarke saw a distinct regression. The most jarring area, however, was his long-range shooting. After starting his career at a promising 35.9%, he dropped nearly two digits to 26.0%.

As uninformed as it may sound, I don’t think this should be a long-term worry. With Jaren Jackson Jr. out for most of the season, BC was forced into a role that didn’t fit him well. He had to force up shots that he normally wouldn’t take, leading to a decrease in his shooting percentages.

Then, 2nd-round pick Xavier Tillman came around and began eating up some of Clarke’s minutes. But while the two were trading off minutes, something happened to Clarke that was unexpected. He saw drastic improvements on the defensive end of the ball.

The second-year former Gonzaga forward’s defensive stands saw a decently-sized jump, with his blocks nearly increasing to 1 per contest and his steals nearly doubling.

We know he is capable of getting back to his rookie year shooting totals but this season, we saw him reach a new ceiling on the defensive end. As an overall player, he has continued to progress. Similar to Ja Morant, his shooting will return and when it does, he’ll be back to his electric first-year form.

I would expect him to find his role as this team and the NBA returns to normalcy next season. JJJ will re-enter his role, Jonas Valanciunas will hold down the paint, and Clarke will be the boost of energy that he was in 2019-20.

This offseason, Clarke will likely be putting up a lot of shots, along with his position partner in Jackson Jr., who also saw a regression in his shooting numbers.

As for the trade window, I would not expect Clarke to be in a position to be traded. He’s a valuable piece to this team and his value is low right now. The Grizzlies will likely look to hold on to him.