Why the Grizzlies are trying to convert Desmond Bane into a point guard

If you’ve been watching Memphis Grizzlies Summer League action, you’ve noticed a few things. For starters, you’ve likely heard about Ziaire Williams’ 5,000-calorie diet. More importantly, however, you know that a single player has stepped up as the team’s primary scorer. That player is Desmond Bane, who will be entering his second year in 2021-22.

Last year, Bane didn’t have the opportunity to compete in Summer League, so for the first time, we’re seeing head coach Taylor Jenkins have a chance to experiment with his young shooting guard. Part of that experiment, evidently, is the fact that Bane has been the team’s primary point guard in this year’s Summer League.

This is a unique look at Bane, who was as pure of a shooting guard as possible last season, rarely stepping outside of catch-and-shoot situations. So why is Taylor Jenkins trying to morph his second-year player out of TCU into a point guard? I have a few theories.

The Memphis Grizzlies may be looking to get out of paying Tyus Jones the big bucks

At age 25, Tyus Jones is currently entering the final season of his contract. The Grizzlies already made it clear that they weren’t fully committed to an extension or re-signing him when they listed him as being available for trades. This is most likely to avoid overpaying a player who will be entering his prime and is coming off of the best season of his career.

Enter Desmond Bane.

If Jones is gone, there are no more point guards on this team. Yes, technically Eric Bledsoe is on the roster, but he’s likely to be gone in fast order. If Jones was to be traded, this would leave Ja Morant as the team’s sole point guard. Without drafting a ball-handler, Memphis is vulnerable at that spot, even if Morant will eat up a large chunk of the minutes.

This is why, in my opinion, the Grizzlies are trying to convert Desmond Bane into a player who can function as the team’s primary ball-handler. And guess what? It’s working.

Thus far, Bane is the second-leading scorer in the entirety of the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 24 points per contest on 29 minutes per game. He’s doing this while knocking down 70% of his 3-point attempts. You read that correctly, he has knocked down 70% of his shots.

As a passer, he hasn’t been elite, but he has formed a really nice connection with Xavier Tillman, the Grizzlies’ other experienced player this summer. The two look extremely comfortable out on the court and they’ve been running the pick and roll to perfection. Bane’s 4.0 assists per contest don’t tell the whole story.

If this is an experiment to decided whether bane can be the team’s secondary ball-handler down the road, it has been extremely successful thus far. We’ll have to wait and see if Jenkins plans to continue this experiment into the regular season.