Memphis Grizzlies: 2016 Offseason Grades

The Memphis Grizzlies not only kept Mike Conley this summer, but they managed to improve upon an aging but formidable core as well. Here are their complete 2016 offseason grades.

In one of the most injury-plagued seasons in NBA history, the Memphis Grizzlies saw their 2015-16 campaign derailed by a series of unlucky maladies to star players, role players and fringe-of-the-rotation players alike.

The Grizz somehow eked their way into the playoffs thanks to head coach Dave Joerger, the arrival of Matt Barnes and the ugliest, truest version of grit-n-grind this team had ever become, but they were promptly and predictably swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.

Heading into a summer where Mike Conley and Barnes were hitting free agency, Joerger was let go and the state of the aging Grizzlies hung in the balance, it’s safe to say Memphis did what was needed this summer to remain as pesky as ever in 2016-17.

Here’s a look at what the Grizzlies did to remain intact as a constant thorn in everyone’s playoff side with complete 2016 offseason grades.

Next: Draft Pick No. 1

Draft Pick No. 1

Originally meant to be insurance for free agent Mike Conley at the point guard position, Wade Baldwin IV will now provide the Grizzlies with an up-and-coming prospect in the backup role. With the Grizz virtually devoid of a Mike Conley understudy, Baldwin should be in a good position to earn meaningful playing time off the bench in his rookie season.

Coming off his sophomore season at Vanderbilt, Baldwin has the size to dominate the guard position, with a 6’4″ frame and a massive 6’11” wingspan. He’s athletic, strong and averaged a well-rounded 14.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game on 40.6 percent shooting from three-point territory last year.

His decision-making as a floor general was a bit questionable at times, but Baldwin will be able to learn from one of the game’s more fundamentally sound point guards in Mike Conley. This may also settle any concerns about his leadership qualities, since he won’t be expected to fill anyone’s shoes as a rookie.

At NBA Summer League, Baldwin put up 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game, but shot a dismal 28.6 percent from the floor and missed all seven of his three-pointers.

However, getting one of the better point guards of this year’s draft class at No. 17 was great value, even with Conley deciding to stay. The Grizzlies now have a young point guard to groom off the bench, and who better to do it than a stable two-way veteran like Conley?

Grade: A-

Next: Draft Pick No. 2

Draft Pick No. 2

With the first pick of the second round of the draft, Memphis unearthed another gem that was still available far later than expected, taking Michigan State power forward Deyonta Davis at No. 31.

Originally projected to be taken somewhere in the late lottery or early 20s, Davis is an alarmingly athletic big with a 6’11” frame, a 7’3″ wingspan and a 9’1″ standing reach. Though he only averaged 7.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in his lone season with the Spartans, Davis already has an NBA body, can rebound and block shots exceedingly well and is slowly but surely expanding his shooting range too.

In Memphis, this 19-year-old should be instilled with the core values of grit-n-grind while also being schooled in playing fundamentally sound defense — a potentially terrifying combination considering the physical attributes he’s already been blessed with.

He still needs to polish his offensive game and he missed all of NBA Summer League due to plantar fasciitis, but there’s a reason Davis was signed to a record deal for a second round pick of three years and $4 million: he shouldn’t have still been available in the second round.

Grade: A

Next: The Rest Of The Draft

The Rest Of The Draft

With their other two second-rounders, the Grizzlies selected Rade Zagorac (No. 35) and Wang Zhelin (No. 57) — two draft-and-stash prospects who won’t be helping Memphis during the 2016-17 campaign.

Zagorac is a 6’8″ wing who has great length despite his lack of athleticism and perimeter shooting. This 20-year-old Serbian currently plays for Mega Leks, signing a two-year deal with the Serbian club this summer.

Zhelin is a mammoth Chinese center, standing at 7’0″ and 251 pounds. He’s already 22 years old, but Zhelin has a solid midrange touch and is worth keeping an eye on over the next few seasons until he’s ready for the NBA stage.

The Grizzlies could’ve used some assistance with their bench for next season, but Zagorac and Zhelin may wind up being useful down the road — provided they ever even make it to the NBA, of course.

Grade: C-

Next: Keeping Conley

Keeping Conley

Heading into the biggest free agency bonanza the league has ever seen, you probably wouldn’t have guessed that by the time all was said and done, Mike Conley and the Memphis Grizzlies were going to agree to the largest contract in NBA history.

And yet, with a five-year, $153 million contract extension for their starting point guard, that’s exactly what happened. Perhaps that will put all that overused “Mike Conley is underrated!” talk to bed once and for all.

On the one hand, this is obviously a feel-good move for the Grizz, especially after re-signing Marc Gasol to his massive five-year extension last summer. Losing Conley would’ve ushered in a serious remodel for the roster, euthanizing the grit-n-grind era in the process.

Instead, Conley’s extension ensures that Gasol-Conley-Zach Randolph–Tony Allen quartet will get one more crack at annoying their way to the top of the Western Conference ladder, even if the odds are still against them with the Spurs still dangerous and the Warriors emerging from the summer covered in more gamma ray radiation than the Hulk.

However, paying $153 million over five years for a player who, let’s face it, isn’t a superstar is not exactly a surefire success. Conley’s numbers have declined in each of the last two seasons, and he’s now on a five-year deal that will take him through his age-33 season.

Last year, Conley averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists per game while shooting 42.2 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from three-point range — respectable numbers, especially for a two-way player who puts forth effort defensively, but hardly indicative of the kind of player you’d expect to receive the largest contract in NBA history.

The Grizzlies had to keep Conley if they wanted to remain competitive in 2016-17, so they sucked it up and ponied out the dough for their leading free agent. Their biggest offseason goal was accomplished in the process, but let’s not pretend like there are no inherent risks with such an otherworldly extension like this.

Grade: B+

Next: Picking Up Parsons

Picking Up Parsons

For awhile, it seemed like Chandler Parsons was going to try and sway Mike Conley or Hassan Whiteside to join him in Dallas. Instead, Grizzlies fans were pleasantly surprised to learn that not only was Conley staying, but that Parsons was also coming with him, playing an instrumental part in keeping him.

On a four-year, $98.5 million contract, the Grizzlies inked the theoretical fit to their 3-and-D wing puzzle that had plagued them for years. Though he’s hardly a lockdown defender, Parsons is a prolific perimeter shooter and underrated scorer at his best.

However, there are plenty of concerns with a deal like this as well. Paying around $24.6 million a season — equivalent to an $18.3 million contract under last year’s $70 million salary cap — is a bloated figure for a healthy Chandler Parsons, let alone the injury-beleaguered one we’ve seen over the last few years.

Over the last two years in Dallas, Parsons missed 16 and 21 games, sustaining serious knee injuries to ends his season both times. With so many surgeries and knee problems, the Grizz are definitely taking a risk by paying him that kind of massive salary.

Last year, Parsons averaged 13.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, shooting a tidy 49.2 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three-point range but not quite looking like himself either. At age 27, Parsons should be in his prime, but has obviously been held back by nagging knee problems.

If those problems continue, this could prove to be a disastrous signing down the road, especially for a Grizzlies team that’s already been hindered by injuries to Gasol, Z-Bo and Conley over the last few years. If he’s healthy though, this deal is a solid investment for a playmaking wing who can spread the floor for the Grizzlies’ offense.

Grade: B

Next: Odds And Ends

Odds And Ends

To wrap things up, the Grizzlies rounded out the roster with a couple of names who have floated around the league for the last few seasons without ever finding a true home.

They started with James Ennis, signing the former 2013 draft pick to a two-year, $6 million deal. Ennis has played for three different teams during the two seasons and 84 combined games of his NBA career, averaging 1.6 points per game in a brief 10-game stint with the Grizz last season.

In a nine-game stint with the New Orleans Pelicans last season, he averaged 15.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

The Grizzlies also added a shooter to their ranks with Troy Daniels, who is probably best remembered for a brief playoff stretch with the Houston Rockets in 2014 where everyone learned his name because he shot the damn lights out.

Though he’s only appeared in 95 NBA games, Daniels is a career 43 percent shooter from three-point range and averaged 5.6 points per game for the Charlotte Hornets last season, shooting a blistering 48.4 percent from downtown. If he can find minutes in Memphis, his floor-spacing will be extremely beneficial off the pine.

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The Grizzlies also claimed Tony Wroten off waivers (after waiving him themselves), adding the injury-riddled guard who averaged 16.9 points and 5.2 assists per game for the Philadelphia 76ers as recently as 2014-15. This is a no-risk move for Memphis, but once again, adding players with extensive injury histories is exactly ideal for building bench depth.

Newcomers also include D.J. Stephens (a 6’5″ shooting guard who went undrafted in 2013 and spent the last year playing in the D-League), Wayne Selden Jr. (a 6’5″ guard who went undrafted in 2016 after an impressive three-year career at Kansas) and Troy Williams (a 6’7″ small forward who went undrafted in 2016 and played well on the Phoenix Suns’ Summer League team).

Stephens posted 10.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for Memphis’ Summer League team in three games, while Williams averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on 54.3 percent shooting in his six Summer League appearances. Selden got a two-year, partially guaranteed deal, while Stephens and Williams earned three-year, partially guaranteed deals.

None of these players move the needle much for the Grizzlies, though Troy Daniels and Tony Wroten could work out if they stay healthy/work their way into David Fizdale’s rotation.

Grade: C+

Next: Overall

Overall

When it comes right down to it, your opinion of the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2016 offseason summer really depends on how much faith you have that guys like Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons can stay healthy — along with how much faith you have in David Fizdale replacing Dave Joerger and how much guys like Zach Randolph and Tony Allen have left in the tank.

If Memphis’ new core can stay on the court together, Fizdale should have an easier time coaxing a top-10 defense out of the Grizzlies (despite Parsons’ flaws on that end), which will make them a two-way nightmare for opponents not named the Warriors and Spurs.

If they can’t stay healthy, however, this more well-rounded Grizz team could very easily miss the playoffs.

However, this summer was not just about the 2016-17 season, which seems to be on a collision course for Warriors vs. Cavaliers Part 3 in the Finals regardless of what anyone else did this offseason.

By committing a combined $247 million to Conley and Parsons, the Grizzlies made a pair of potentially risky, long-term investments in a 28-year-old point guard and a 27-year-old, injury-prone wing. Parsons’ playmaking and three-point shooting will be a huge boost to Memphis’ lackluster offense if he can stay healthy, but what’s the best-case scenario here?

The reality is that this once fun core may not continue to age gracefully, even with Parsons onboard. With Gasol and Z-Bo injury-prone and in their 30s, Parsons’ knee being made of paper-mache and Conley about to enter what’s left of his prime, the Grizzlies’ timing for going all-in financially is not ideal; the Warriors, Spurs and Cavaliers still rule this league.

More hoops habit: San Antonio Spurs: 2016 Offseason Grades

The Memphis Grizzlies are, on paper, a much better team heading into next season. They kept a franchise player with a bloated contract, added a marquee free agent and will give their blue-collar fans one more year of keeping the band together. At some point, however, you have to wonder whether this team’s ceiling or its head will be the first to cave after repeatedly bashing the two together for so long.

Grade: B+