Memphis Grizzlies: 5 Things To Watch For With Mike Conley Out
3. Young Backcourt Needs To Step Up
As we’ve alluded to several times already, the ultra-inexperienced backcourt of Andrew Harrison and Wade Baldwin IV will need to step up in a big way if the Grizzlies are to survive the next six weeks.
Baldwin, the 17th overall pick from this year’s draft, has averaged 3.5 points and 2.3 assists in 15.6 minutes per game thus far as a rookie. He’s a decent enough playmaker and can get to the hoop, but his perimeter shot still needs a ton of work.
Through his first 11 NBA games, Baldwin boasts a team-worst -6.7 plus/minus and is shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor and 18.2 percent from three-point range. Yet somehow, Harrison might be just as bad:
Andrew Harrison's shot chart for this season. He's sitting at 27.1 percent from the field, including 20.0% on catch-and-shoot. Yuck. pic.twitter.com/0tCMVdB7we
— Michael Gallagher (@MikeSGallagher) November 29, 2016
A second round selection from the 2015 NBA Draft, Andrew Harrison is technically a rookie as well, since he never suited up for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2015-16 season. He’s got great size for the backcourt at 6’6″ and has played well on the defensive end, but the offensive end is where Memphis will miss Conley the most.
Averaging 5.9 points and 3.4 assists in 25.8 minutes per game, Harrison has little impact on the stat sheet. He has the team’s third-worst plus/minus at -2.2, and his .271/.217/.809 shooting splits leave a ton to be desired, especially for an offense that will have little to zero floor spacing with both Conley and Parsons sidelined.
In their first professional seasons, the pressure will be on for two first-year players lacking NBA experience. How well the Grizzlies manage over these next few weeks will heavily depend on how ready these youngsters are to rise to the challenge.