3 Grizzlies who will benefit from Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension

1. Desmond Bane

This summer, Desmond Bane landed himself a lucrative new payday in the form of a five-year, $207 million max extension with the Grizzlies.

Obviously, such a deal is well deserved for the 25-year-old guard, as he has rapidly established himself as one of the best young backcourt talents in the game today.

Last season, despite suffering from a toe injury that ultimately required surgery back in May for the majority of the campaign, he managed to put forth career-best numbers virtually all across the board, boasting averages of 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting a highly efficient 47.9 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from distance.

Along with the fact that he was hobbled for the vast majority of 2022-23, what makes these efforts even more impressive is the fact that he performed at such heights whilst serving as the second option behind Ja Morant.

Now with the superstar guard sidelined through the beginning of December and the less-inclined shooter in Marcus Smart taking his place, Bane will be the unquestioned go-to scoring threat within Taylor Jenkins’ rotation to start the season which will almost certainly see his career-highs from last season swiftly be surpassed.

Should he have the kind of hot start that so many expect him to, it could also wind up thrusting his name into the early All-Star conversation.

3 Former Grizzlies that are still available on the free agent market

There are three specific former Memphis Grizzlies players currently on the free agency market who could still prove to be of service in an NBA rotation.