Why the Memphis Grizzlies should stay away from DeMar DeRozan

The Memphis Grizzlies will likely look to find an additional piece for their team that can bring them to the next level. Without a big free agency addition, this may prove to be impossible.

As a result, the Grizzlies will constantly come up as a team that may be in the running to sign a veteran, high-profile free agent. This season, one of those high-profile free agents is DeMar DeRozan, who has spent his past three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs

DeRozan is one of the league’s best scorers, averaging over 21 points per contest in each of his seasons in San Antonio. Perhaps even more impressively, he did it without being able to shoot the 3-pointer very well at 25.7% or lower each of those three seasons. I bring this up because it can be extremely hard to score without having a strong long-distance shot.

In all likelihood, he would improve the Grizzlies’ offense right off of the bat.

In fact, with a similar play style to Ja Morant, the four-time NBA All-Star could function as a mentor for Morant. Averaging nearly 7 assists per game, his playmaking abilities could rub off on everybody on the Grizzlies’ roster.

The Memphis Grizzlies should shy away from DeMar DeRozan for one glaringly obvious reason

Unfortunately, this wouldn’t work out. While DeRozan would undoubtedly elevate Memphis to another level, I’m not sure he would send them in the right direction. For starters, the Grizzlies seemingly need a very specific type of player — three and D. Think Klay Thompson.

DeRozan is a great player but he is as far from a Klay Thompson-type guy as you can get. In fact, to add to DeRozan’s bad shooting, he’s a subpar defender as well. Even in an improved year, his defensive rating was 115.1, a number that would be below average on a strong Grizzlies defensive unit.

DeRozan would improve Memphis in every category that they already exceed in and hurt them in the categories that they struggle in. The positive associated with DeRozan is that he could elevate Memphis into a middle-of-the-pack playoff team on a yearly basis, getting young guys strong experience.

That said, between his underwhelming defense and his 28.1% career long-range shooting, the Grizzlies would be committing to playing a more old-school type of game. I don’t claim to have the same level of knowledge as an NBA general manager, but if I’m Zach Kleiman, I’m avoiding DeMar DeRozan this offseason.

Despite the fact that multiple media outlets have listed the Grizzlies as a good match for DeRozan, I disagree.