Grizzlies lose Desmond Bane to east contender in 2020 NBA Re-Draft

Despite their lowly 9-19 record, when fully intact the Memphis Grizzlies have one of the most menacing rosters in the entire league and, on top of that, have one of the outright best backcourt tandems in Ja Morant and Demond Bane.

While the former's star status should be relatively unsurprising considering he was the second overall selection in a stacked 2019 draft, the latter's rise throughout his four-year career has been a pleasant process to witness for members of the Grind City community, especially considering the fact that he was the final pick in the first round of the 2020 function.

Throughout his years serving as a staple within coach Taylor Jenkins' rotation, Bane has established himself as one of the association's brightest rising stars at the guard position and boasts impressive career averages of 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 41.8 percent from deep.

It is because of this high-end productivity that Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey has noted the two-guard has "already obliterated expectations" during his short time in the league and, in the hypothetical scenario where there was a full-out re-draft, he wouldn't even wind up making it out of the top-five, with Bailey arguing that he'd wind up going fifth overall, which was where the Cleveland Cavaliers resided on the night.

Grizzlies stud Desmond Bane taken fifth overall in NBA Re-Draft

"Desmond Bane got a chance to showcase himself as a No. 1 option during Ja Morant's 25-game suspension. His scoring efficiency suffered a bit, and the Memphis Grizzlies lost far more than they won, but Bane's stock should still be up.

This season, he's averaging 24.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.4 threes, while shooting 38.0 percent from deep.

If he wasn't there already, this stretch should have Bane at least in range of the league's top tier of 2-guards."

- Andy Bailey on Desmond Bane

Even with his impressive productivity to this point, 2023-24 is easily proving to be Bane's best while with the Grizzlies, as he's posting career averages of 25.1 points and 5.2 assists to go along with 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 46.5 percent shooting from the floor and 38.1 percent from distance.

Snatching up such a talent at pick 30 is an incredibly enviable feat and should be forever seen as an unbelievable win for Memphis.