7 players the Memphis Grizzlies gave up on too soon

5. PG Ish Smith

Funny enough, most people probably don’t even know that Ish Smith played for the Grizzlies, which isn’t a surprise considering that he’s played for 13 different teams in the NBA now. However, keeping this solid backup point guard around during the Grit and Grind era could have been a pretty big boost.

Smith would be traded to the Grizzlies in the midst of his rookie season, however, after 15 games, the Grizzlies would eventually waive him. While it would take some time for Smith to eventually turn into the backup point guard he is today, the Grizzlies could have given him some much-needed stability. Then again, so could have 13 other teams in the NBA.

Similar to Watanabe, losing this kind of player isn’t a big deal and goes to show that Memphis has done a great job at keeping their good talent around. However, Smith could have been pretty darn good for the Grizzlies during the end of their Grit and Grind era.

From 2016-2020, Smith averaged 10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, shooting 44.1% from the field and 33.1% from deep on 1.9 attempts. While by 2020, that infamous Grizzlies team would have been broken up, it would have been nice to see Smith on both a contending and rebuilding team.