Recent grade of Grizzlies free agency misses bigger picture

This offseason, the Memphis Grizzlies managed to improve their roster’s talent pool in numerous areas by means of the NBA Draft and, most notably, the trade market with the acquisition of Marcus Smart.

However, when it comes to their free agency efforts, some were left rather underwhelmed as the only move made by GM Zach Kleiman in this verticle was the singing of veteran guard, Derrick Rose.

To Robby Kalland of Uproxx, such a pickup only warrants a “C” grade.

"“The only signing of the summer for the Grizzlies is Derrick Rose, who was not part of the Knicks rotation last year. He won’t be someone they can rely on for real minutes and also isn’t a veteran with significant deep playoff experience they can lean on. For a vet minimum it’s not a damaging signing, but it also isn’t one that moves the needle for a team with the lofty aspirations the Grizzlies have,” Kalland wrote."

Of course, when focusing on the 34-year-old’s lackluster on-court production over the last few seasons and, as Kalland pointed out, his removal from the Knicks rotation altogether last year, the concept of scooping up the fallen star seems a bit underwhelming.

That said, the addition of Derrick Rose was never fully predicated on what he could supply on the hardwood but, rather, what he can provide off of it.

The youngest MVP in NBA history, claiming the award during just his third season in the association at the age of 22 years and six months old, Rose was once viewed as one of the most electric talents the game had ever seen, particularly at the point guard position.

Unfortunately, his rapid rise to start off his seemingly illustrious career clashed with a thunderous crash in only his fourth season where he tore the ACL in his left knee.

Over the years since this unfortunate happening back during the 2011-12 season, the guard would endure a slew of hardships from elongated recovery timelines, a myriad of other injuries, and off-court dilemmas, all of which, in one way or another, turned the promising high-flying point guard into a mere role player struggling to stay in the league from the time of his tenth season onward.

So, with this in mind, one may be asking themselves: “How does any of this make the Derrick Rose signing better?”

Simply put, it all comes down to how he managed to endure and, ultimately, overcome such obstacles amid his once-crumbling career and how he can instill such wisdom upon the likes of polarizing guard, Ja Morant.

Like Rose, the Grizzlies superstar has quickly established himself as one of the premier talents in the association thanks to his stellar abilities and otherworldly athleticism.

Through four seasons played, the point guard has been selected to two All-Star games, an All-NBA second team, and, during year one, took home Rookie of the Year honors, a trajectory eerily similar to that of the veteran, which has had many fans, media pundits, and even league personnel take notice.

Unfortunately, similarities aren’t just found with their in-game efforts, but, in a way, their off-court troubles as well, which already had the Grizzlies star miss time last season due to suspension and, as a result of another situation this summer, will hold him out for the first 25 games to start to 2023-24 campaign.

The decision to sign Derrick Rose this summer was not heavily influenced by a desire from Memphis to see him potentially rejuvenate his career, even to something similar to that of his 2020-21 season where he posted impressive averages of 14.7 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.6 rebounds on 47.0 percent shooting from the field and 38.8 percent shooting from deep (thought it would obviously be nice).

Instead, many believe it was a strategic way for the organization to surround Morant with a player who, at one point, held a similar status to him and can, in turn, potentially keep him focused and on the right path.

The fate and the future success of the Grizzlies is directly tied to that of Ja Morant, and adding a mentor like Rose residing on the sidelines and in the locker room may just be exactly what this organization needs as they look to thrust themselves into the legitimate title-contender conversation.

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