The 5 Most interesting Grizzlies for the 2023-24 Season

3. Desmond Bane

How does one improve all the time? Well, maybe we should ask Desmond Bane.

This guy just knows how to get better. After coming into the league as the 30th pick—with not many expectations of greatness attached to that spot—Bane averaged a solid 9 points per outing as a rookie, which is already an improvement on his meager expectations.

His second year, he decided that he would casually double that scoring output, as well as improve almost every ancillary aspect of his game. He flirted with a 50-40-90 season in 2021, and became a bona fide wingman behind Ja Morant. By the end of the season, Bane had proved everyone wrong and effectively shoved his late draft selection right down everyone’s throats to the tune of explosive shot making.

But guess what: Bane decided that 2022 would be even better, coming even closer to the elusive 50-40-90 splits and upping his scoring even further to 21-a-game. Not only did he prove his worth as a true wingman, he became worthy of second star status and obtained some serious swagger on the way. And he managed to translate it to the playoffs, doing all he could against a Lakers team that was too much to overcome.

But that’s not even the full story. Bane focused more on baseball than basketball through eighth grade, but still managed to climb the ranks and average a nuclear 30 ppg as a senior in high school. He’s just relentless, always adding something when you think he’s hit his limit.

Question: Who do you see a realistic ceiling for you in the NBA?

I would hope that Bane—who at this point is just an artificial intelligence computer designing improvements to itself to eventually take over the earth and doom the human race—would just laugh off the question. Why would he limit himself now?