The point guard position was supposed to be the Grizzlies' strongest position group coming into the regular season after they signed Ty Jerome this offseason. With Ja Morant playing his best ball towards the end of last season with Tuomas Iisalo at head coach, Scotty Pippen Jr. emerging as a strong lead guard, and Ty Jerome finishing as a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year in Cleveland, injuries were the only concern for that position.
Unfortunately, the injury bug transitioned from their big man group to the point guard position as Ja Morant suffered an ankle sprain in training camp, causing him to miss the entire preseason. Then Scotty Pippen Jr. and Ty Jerome suffered toe and calf injuries, respectively, just before the start of the regular season, keeping them out for every game to this point and counting.
Morant returned for the start of the regular season with rookie two-way point guard Javon Small backing him up, but now both of them are out for an extended time as well. With no true point guards remaining who are healthy, the Grizzlies had to turn to a player who appeared to fall out of favor with the roster for a resurgence.
Vince Williams Jr. looks like his breakout 2023-24 self
Speaking of injuries, Vince Williams Jr. had a bad luck of them following his breakout 2023-24 season, and it included him missing the Grizzlies' first five games this season with a heel injury. Since his return, he has been mostly a reserve at the wing positions with spot duty as the primary ball handler.
However, he has gotten the nod to be the starter at point guard with Ja Morant and others out of the lineup and has been a steady presence. While being used primarily as the team's top 3-and-D wing during their injury-riddled 2023-24 season, the team used a stretch of games to allow him to be the starting point guard, with good results.
During a six-game stretch of primarily playing point guard in February 2024, he averaged 13 points and nearly eight assists with only 2.5 turnovers per game. This season, he got the start at point guard against the Boston Celtics, but wasn't particularly effective, finishing with only two assists and ending with a -17 plus/minus.
The following game against the Cavaliers saw him primarily playing point guard after Ja Morant left the game early, and he showed some glimpses of success, but ended with four turnovers. However, his last two games have seen him finish with a combined 24 assists to only four turnovers and a total plus/minus of +33 in their games against the Spurs and Kings.
With no healthy point guard, Vince Williams Jr. is proving to provide more depth than initially envisioned at that position when the Grizzlies formed their roster this summer. Vince Williams Jr. is showing the team why they gave him a four-year contract two years ago, and his development as a playmaker will likely keep him in the rotation with some of their primary point guards returning to the lineup.