Desmond Bane’s impact on Grizzlies draws comparison to former MVP, perennial All-Star

Through three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Desmond Bane has quickly become one of the top options within head coach Taylor Jenkins’ rotation.

From his playmaking prowess to the sheer counting stats, the two guard has managed to have quite an impact on this young squad during his tenure, which, according to Action Network’s Matt Moore, is reminiscent of a particular 10-time All-Star and former league MVP.

During a recent episode of The Buckets podcast, Moore discussed how Bane’s numbers from 2022-23 draw a stark similarity to James Harden’s during his Sixth Man of the Year-winning final season with the Oklahoma City Thunder back during the 2011-12 campaign.

Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane draws comparison to OKC Thunder James Harden

"“Desmond Bane’s numbers compare extremely favorably to James Harden’s in 2012 — the year before he left for Houston [and] his last year with OKC,” Moore said. “He was a sixth man, but he was obviously playing starter minutes. He was considered part of the big-three with [Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant]. He had a moderately lower usage because KD and Russ were still taking a huge chunk of shots. Desmond, very genuinely, kind of looks like he’s got that kind of capacity for what Harden was for the Thunder.”"

Moore would continue on to state that while he does not believe that Bane would follow in Harden’s footsteps in becoming a “multi-year MVP candidate” if he were to be traded in the near future, he thinks that this archetype along with sound defensive chops could very well put him in the conversation for the league’s Most Improved Player award, especially should he continue his upward trajectory during Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension.

"“If [the Grizzlies] are way better than expected when Ja gets back there’s going to be a huge, like… Desmond Bane got them through the first 25 games without Ja,” Moore said."

The 25-year-old just recently inked a lucrative five-year, $207 million extension with Memphis after posting a career-best campaign where he averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep despite suffering from a lingering toe injury that, ultimately, required surgery this summer.

Already viewed as a potential first-time All-Star candidate and a player who may just be the x-factor in a title run for the Grizzlies, Moore believes Bane’s young Harden-like production could see him coming home with the MIP hardware come year’s end as well.

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