Shooting is a premium in the NBA, and the Grizzlies had two of the best shooters in the league the last three seasons with Desmond Bane and Luke Kennard. However, defensive versatility and playoff struggles have the team looking to potentially not retain either player this offseason.
Luke Kennard is a free agent for the second consecutive season and is coming off his worst shooting performance in the playoffs, shooting 22.2% from three on 2.3 attempts per game in their four games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Desmond Bane's future is uncertain due to his price tag ($36.6M) for a player who is not an NBA All-Star.
As the team prepares for a long offseason of deciding how to proceed with their roster construction for championship contention, a glaring hole was displayed in their series against the Thunder.
Memphis still needs shooters to maximize Ja Morant's game
The Grizzlies are coming off their best shooting season from three since Ja Morant was drafted, finishing 13th in the league, shooting 36.6% as a team for the season. However, that percentage dropped to 30.4% in their first-round series loss to Oklahoma City.
The worst of the shooters was Desmond Bane as he shot 21.9% on eight attempts per game in the series. Oklahoma City didn't respect the Grizzlies' shooters, and they couldn't make them pay by playing their two best shooters at the same time because of the dropoff in their defense.
Upcoming restricted free agent Santi Aldama was the best shooter for the team in the series, shooting 41.7% on six attempts per game, but his teammates didn't follow suit. Ja Morant was keyed in on in the pick-and-roll by the entire Thunder defense without a reliable threat to relieve some of the pressure he faced.
Adding more 3-and-D specialists has been noted as what the Grizzlies need the most this offseason, numerous times. Offense has been this team's downfall year after year, even dating back to the Grit and Grind days. Even in the season where their offense reached new heights as the second leading team in points per game, it failed them when it mattered the most.
To maximize their super point guard, the team will need to add reliable shooters who won't take away from their defense. Kennard's time is nearly a lock to be done in Memphis, and the player they reportedly attempted to trade him for during the season (Dorian Finney-Smith) is available as a free agent this offseason.
Memphis will have options to add players that better compliment Morant, and if they want to become true contenders, they have to execute on bringing in on those players sooner rather than later.