Desmond Bane’s meteoric rise is a game-changer for Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies entered this season as a contender to win the Western Conference; however, they’ve had to battle through a number of early injuries thus far. Fortunately, it’s a long season, the Grizzlies have a superstar in Ja Morant, and a deep team, but perhaps the surprise of the NBA season thus far has been the play of Desmond Bane.

Bane has been nothing short of spectacular and is a big reason why the Grizzlies have been able to weather the early storm and are 7-3 and third in the West. While it was previously assumed that Jaren Jackson Jr. would emerge as the team’s second star to complement Morant, Jackson has struggled to stay healthy since being taken fourth in the 2018 NBA draft.

Now, it seems clear that Bane is the Robin to Morant’s Batman, and that’s huge for the Grizzlies, who are widely seen as the future of the NBA but didn’t necessarily have a clear-cut second option behind Morant. Now they do.

Once fully healthy, the Memphis Grizzlies could establish themselves as the team to beat in the Western Conference this season, with other contenders such as the Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers stumbling out of the gates, and going forward. Let’s take a closer look at how Bane has made the leap into stardom.