Desmond Bane hypes up new Grizzlies starter ahead of matchup vs Rockets

The Memphis Grizzlies find themselves coming off a Sunday bout against the title-contending Boston Celtics where they nearly managed to secure their first consecutive slate of wins on the season.

Despite falling on the losing side of the game's 102-100 final score, the outing proved that, even amid such a lackluster season, Taylor Jenkins' squad can still give a club a run for their money on any given day thanks to their slew of highly talented ballers.

While the usual suspects of Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. continued to serve as major players against the C's, it was the uptick in production from recently inserted starter Santi Aldama that served as the driving force in their near-upset victory.

And while to some his top-notch play may have come as a surprise, Bane suggested during his postgame interview that he's not shocked by his performance, as he praised the 22-year-old's progression throughout year three and hinted that he'll only get better as the season moves along.

Desmond Bane hypes Grizzlies power forward Santi Aldama

"He's continuing to get better. I tell him all the time how happy I am for him and the things that he's doing on the court now. You see his dynamic, he can do a bunch of different things on the floor: stretch the floor from the three-point line, attack the basket, play make. There's a lot of things he can do on the court, I think he had 12 rebounds tonight, four of them offensive. I mean, that's winning basketball."

- Desmond Bane on Santi Aldama

Against the Celtics, Aldama went on to post a tremendous stat line of 28 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 40.0 percent from deep in his first start of the season while finishing with the team's second-highest plus-minus of +4.

During his presser, Bane would continue to highlight the non-offensive impact the recent first-rounder has on the Grizzlies' first five unit, stating that "him being in the starting lineup just gives us more size and really helps us on the defensive end of the floor."

Though there were certainly a few negative results that came about from coach Jenkins' new-look lineup, at least for Wednesday's outing against the Houston Rockets, fans should expect to see Aldama receiving another go as a starter