Memphis Grizzlies: Can Justise Winslow still be productive at all?

Despite the fact that almost every player on the Memphis Grizzlies‘ roster drastically improved from 2020 to 2021, there are a couple of guys who regressed.

The first was Brandon Clarke, who had a huge rookie year and looked like he was going to shape up into a sophomore sensation. He averaged over 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, doing it while shooting 61.8% from the field. In year two, those numbers would all drop, with his field goal percentage plummeting over 10%.

But Clarke’s regression was nothing compared to Justise Winslow, who became one of the least efficient players in the NBA.

Justise Winslow has always had struggles offensively, but this was usually made up for by an offensive resurgence late in any particular season of his career or stellar defense throughout the year. The Grizzlies didn’t really get either of those things.

Granted, Winslow played a career-low in minutes, but even his per-36 minute numbers struggle. Per 36 minutes, his scoring total was lower than it had been in the past three years, with his field goal and 3-point percentages reaching new lows.

Part of this was the fact that he was simply ice-cold after missing an excess of time with a nagging back injury. That said, he never seemed to return to his normal offense. In fact, the argument could be made that he was the worst offensive player in the league this past season.

Can the Memphis Grizzlies squeeze any production out of Justise Winslow at all in the future?

Before getting into this question, one must consider the fact that Winslow has a $13 million team option that Memphis will likely decline. The Grizzlies have until August 1st to decline this and there’s no reason that they shouldn’t.

That said, they may choose to re-sign him while his value is low. This would not be a fan-favorite move but it could help the Grizzlies down the road. Here’s how.

For starters, his offense will never be as bad as it was in 2021. I know it sounds ridiculous to say “it can’t get worse, so let’s re-sign him,” but humor me for now. Winslow had a down year offensively on a team that he couldn’t develop chemistry with for the entire offseason and half of the regular season.

Generally speaking, he can elevate himself to a level where he’s at least an average offensive player. Defensively, he can be a menace when he wants to. He wasn’t elite in 2021, which could have been the result of drained confidence, but it seems like virtually every Grizzlies player had a tough time breaking into this team’s lineup.

He was never supposed to be a strong offensive player, so why are we holding him to that standard?

I may sound insane but I think Winslow can be an effective player on this team, so long as he is paid correctly and used in the right way. Essentially, the stars would have to align for Winslow to have a successful career on Beale Street.

Never say never.