When Kentavious Caldwell-Pope arrived in the Desmond Bane trade this past offseason, those who followed the Memphis Grizzlies felt cautious optimism with a sprinkle of apathy. The exchange of players - Bane for KCP and Cole Anthony (who was later waived by Memphis) from the Orlando Magic - was more for contract-matching purposes. The real star of the transaction in the eyes of most was the four first-round picks the Magic parted with.
Caldwell-Pope, who signed a contract in free agency with Orlando the previous summer, was supposed to be what Bane would eventually become for the Eastern Conference contender. Or at least a piece of what Bane could be, as a shooter. But his lackluster 34% conversion rate from deep simply was not good enough for the Magic...and their burden became Memphis' path to an organizational reset.
The problem became that Caldwell-Pope's struggles for Orlando carried over to the Grizzlies. Not only did he shoot a paltry 29.8% from three as a starter, he also seemed to have lost his proverbial "juice" as a defensive player. His -17 net rating in 13 games as a starter was among the worst on the team overall, and he appeared destined to be Memphis' problem instead of their positive contributor.
A major shift occurs
Then, to credit Memphis Grizzlies Head Coach Tuomas Iisalo, an underrated change happened. Caldwell-Pope, who has started almost 84% of games across his career (including every game he played in the previous five seasons), became a reserve. Rookie Cedric Coward, who is putting together an All-Rookie NBA season, entered the starting lineup and has stayed there. At this stage of their respective careers, Coward simply is better equipped to defend and create on both ends of the floor.
But then, a funny thing happened. KCP's play improved. In 11 games coming off the bench, Caldwell-Pope is shooting over eight percentage points better overall from the field. He is also a 41.2% shooter (on less volume) as a reserve, and that previously mentioned net rating has improved all the way up to a +1. He is defending better, scoring more efficiently, and seems to fit this Grizzlies roster better
Will it stick?
It's important to point out that as KCP's numbers have improved going from a starter to a reserve, Coward's impact has actually lessened as a starter as compared to a bench player. But Coward, as a rookie, is more likely to bounce back and ascend, whereas Caldwell-Pope's prime has passed. This is a better use of a veteran player who still has gas left in the tank, but must be given better situations to succeed in.
Will KCP remain in the mix as the roster gets healthy? Ja Morant returns soon, and while the team debut of Ty Jerome and season debut of Scotty Pippen Jr. are off on the horizon, they will eventually (hopefully?) be back in the mix as well. Does a veteran like Caldwell-Pope help Memphis more as a trade chip as the deadline approaches in the weeks to come?
Maybe so. But that's a question for another day. For now, the decision to have Kentavious Caldwell-Pope change roles has paid dividends for the Memphis Grizzlies - and reinvigorated KCP's career.