3 Grizzlies predictions for season opener vs Pelicans

2. Desmond Bane will drop 25+ points, 5+ assists

With the suspension of Ja Morant for the first third of the season, the Grizzlies will now look to his backcourt cohort Desmond Bane to step into the role of being the number one option on the offensive side of the ball.

Already, we’ve seen him thrive when taking on such responsibilities during his time-restricted run in the preseason where he posted a whopping 22.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in just 25 minutes a night all while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from deep.

Now, coming into the regular season with far more minutes to come across one should only expect this productivity to increase, and it starts tonight against NOLA.

Even when serving as second fiddle in the pecking order last season, Bane still managed to have his way when facing the Pelicans, as he averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

Their clash against one another on April 5 seems to strengthen the belief that he could be in for a big day on opening night even more, as this was a game he stepped into the go-to role with Morant sidelined and, despite having to learn how to efficiently function in such a role on the fly, he still posted 24 points, 5 assists, and 4 boards.

Now with a full training camp and preseason to prepare, don’t be surprised to see Bane dropping 25+ points and dishing out 5+ dimes to kick things off against New Orleans.