The Grizzlies are about to enjoy a nice four-day break after back-to-back road wins this past weekend against the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards. Their victory over the Washington Wizards saw their bench score 76 points in their blowout victory over one of the NBA's worst teams with six rotational players missing in Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Zach Edey, Luke Kennard, GG Jackson II, and Vince Williams Jr.
One player who has exemplified being a model of consistency and is in coach Taylor Jenkins' good graces, as he ranks sixth in minutes per game for the team, is Jake LaRavia. The 6'8" third-year forward from Wake Forest was the Grizzlies' top draft pick in the 2022 draft and is finally showing promise as a player that can contribute to a winner.
Continued progression
After a slow start to his career that involved time missed due to injury, LaRavia displayed improvement during the second half of last season and carried that momentum into the summer league and training camp this season. Despite his progress, the team declined his contract option for next season making him a free agent after this season.
With the rise of GG Jackson II and Vince Williams Jr., followed by the drafting and signing of Jaylen Wells this offseason, the writing was on the wall that LaRavia wouldn't be in the rotation or a part of the teams' future plans. He has now paved a potential role for himself this season even when everyone returns from injury.
Jake LaRavia is shooting a career-high from the field (50.3%) and from three (39.3%) and providing a career-high in rebounds with 4.7 per game. He is also providing solid defense and making the right play within the flow of the offense, which earned him a chance to close out the Grizzlies' victory at the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
The wing position is arguably the most important in the NBA and has been a weakness of the Grizzlies in the past including early last season. However, with the improvement of Jake LaRavia, the Grizzlies have arguably the deepest rotation of wings in the NBA when fully healthy with the likes of LaRavia, GG Jackson II, Vince Williams Jr., Jaylen Wells, and others that can slide into the wing positions in Santi Aldama, Marcus Smart, and Desmond Bane.
LaRavia's overall numbers don't tell the full story of his impact on the Grizzlies this season, but his game meshes with the new offensive system, and the strides he has taken on the defensive end can't be overlooked. While he will never be the player who can take on the opposing team's best player night in and night out or be a super reserve scorer, he is a quality NBA role player for a team that is on its way to contention for the NBA title.