Memphis Grizzlies: Why Duncan Robinson would be the perfect fit

The Memphis Grizzlies were a strong team in a lot of categories last season, including steals, assists, and oddly enough, floaters.

But one area that saw them consistently struggle throughout the entire year was 3-point shooting. The Grizzlies weren’t the worst team in the league, but they finished in the lower half of the NBA and didn’t have many strong performances from deep. It crippled the team offensively.

This was exemplified by the Grizzlies’ 32.9% 3-point shooting in the playoffs, a number that may have played a part in their 5-game elimination against the Utah Jazz. The Grizzlies were the fourth-worst playoff shooting team and two of the three teams below them were bounced in the first round.

A player who could instantly help with this issue would be Duncan Robinson.

Upon first glance, Duncan Robinson isn’t the type of player whose name is going to jump off of the page. Robinson is also a restricted free agent, which complicates the situation. This would mean that the Grizzlies would have to send him an offer sheet that the Miami Heat could match. In other words, Memphis would have to go all-out and likely overpay slightly to pick him up.

That said, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities.

Duncan Robinson would fill the Memphis Grizzlies’ needs perfectly

When you look through the Memphis Grizzlies’ roster, it’s easy to see why the team struggled to shoot this past season. Beyond Desmond Bane and Grayson Allen, there are very few consistent shooters on this squad.

Duncan Robinson is as consistent of a shooter as you’ll find in the NBA. To put things into perspective, he had a down year in 2020-21, shooting just 40.8%, a percentage and a half below his career average. His career average is 42.3%.

The beauty of Robinson is that all he does is shoot. He’s the type of player that could miss five straight shots and still be a huge threat on the perimeter. He’s the perfect role player for a modern NBA team.

With Robinson on the team, Ja Morant would have more space to work in the paint and the Grizz would get that 3-point shooting boost that they’ve been looking for without having to sign a high-profile player.

If I’m the Grizzlies, I’m giving an effort to reach out to Robinson, even if it eventually falls through.