Desmond Bane is the Second Best Offensive player in the Memphis era of the Grizzlies

Despite a tough start to the season for the Memphis Grizzlies, one clear bright spot for the present and future is the continued growth of Desmond Bane’s offensive game. From his breakout season two years ago and his improvement since, Bane as evolved into an All-Star level offensive producer. In fact, Bane has reached levels in terms of scoring and offensive production that only one other person has in franchise history: Ja Morant. And with how frequently Bane has reached those levels and what he is on pace to do this year, I feel it is more than fair to offer this description of what Bane has become compared to his peers in the Memphis era of the Grizzlies:

He is the second best offensive player to have played for the Grizzlies since they arrived in Memphis.

It is certainly fair to question if this statement is based on a bit of recency bias. After all, Bane is currently averaging 24.6 points per game, which would be the highest scoring average by a Grizzlies player in franchise history for someone not named Ja Morant. But of course, that is the big factor to keep in context, that Bane is producing at this level WITHOUT Morant, who clearly is the best offensive player ever for the Grizzlies. Some may feel that Bane’s offensive production could regress by a significant amount once Morant returns.

But the big key in establishing where Bane has emerged among the best offensive players in franchise history, especially since the Grizzlies arrived in Memphis, is spotlighting how he and Morant have reached certain scoring standards that no other Memphis Grizzlies player ever has. For instance, Bane’s 501 points through the first 20 team games of this season is the second highest amount a Grizzlies player has ever scored over that start of the season stretch, behind only Morant’s 569 points to start the 2022-2023 season. Even more impressive is that Morant and Bane are now the only players in franchise history to score 500 or more points, or average 25 points a game, over ANY 20 game stretch. In other words, Bane has reached a ceiling as a scorer that only Morant has reached in franchise history.

Of course, while a sustained stretch or span of games certainly offers validity to where Bane ranks among other Grizzlies offensively in franchise history, he also has established a ceiling in terms of single game scoring that no one other than Morant has reached:

Bane’s 49 points against Detroit (first highlight reel insert from X/Twitter) this past Wednesday was a new career high, tying Morant for the second highest single game point amount by a player in franchise history. Morant holds the franchise record at 52 points.

Bane’s previous career high was 38 points, which was the same exact amount of points Morant scored back in the same game back on 10/24/2022 (second highlight reel insert from X/Twitter.) In that game, Bane and Morant each scored 38 while Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving each scored 37, one of the most exciting regular season Grizzlies games ever. In that contest, Morant and Bane established the highest single-game points total by a Grizzlies duo at 76 points. So not only are Morant and Bane first and second on the single-game scoring list in franchise history, they also teamed up to set the franchise record for most points by a duo in a game.

Of course, single game performances and 20-game spans may still not be enough for some to label Bane as the best offensive player not named Ja Morant in the history of the Memphis Grizzlies. Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, the Gasol Brothers, Mike Miler, Mike Conley, and Jaren Jackson Jr. all had many impressive moments as offensive players over much longer stretches as Grizzlies, and many of them have more games with elite scoring production than Bane.

But when it comes to Morant and Bane, how frequently they have produced elite scoring games early in their careers is what stands out among their peers. In the time that the Grizzlies have been in Memphis, Morant (54), Gay (30), Pau Gasol (25), Conley (24), and Bane (20) are the only Grizzlies with 20 or more games with 30+ points. Neither Marc Gasol nor Zach Randolph reached that threshold. In the case of Morant and Bane, each needed 222 games or less to reach that mark. Since each player listed above begin their career with the Grizzlies, here is how many 30-point games each player had through 222 career games:

49 – Ja Morant

20 – Desmond Bane

14 – Rudy Gay

8 – Pau Gasol

1 – Mike Conley

In terms of a single season, Morant stands far above and beyond his Memphis peers when it comes to 30+ point games. His 24 such games in the 21-22 season and 21 such games last season are the most in franchise history. Gay (12), Pau Gasol (11), and Conley (10) are the only other Grizzlies with 10 or more 30+ point games in a single season. Bane had 8 such games in 58 total games last year. He already has 8 such games in only 21 total games this year. Once again, in terms of elite scoring, Bane is well on is way to reaching a standard that only Morant has with the Memphis Grizzlies.

But when it comes to offensive play, production and value go beyond just actual points. And for Bane, his level of playmaking and shot quality also stand out among his fellow present and past Grizzlies. Obviously, a big key for Bane is his ability to hit threes. Already holding the franchise record for most threes in a season, he also is the only Grizzlies player to average 2+ made threes per game (he is averaging 2.6 per game in his career.) Bane’s 581 career threes are third most in franchise history behind Conley and Miller.

Bane also has arguably has the best shot quality of any Grizzlies player in franchise history. His career .597 TS% is tied with Mike Miller for the highest such mark for any player with 2000 or more FGAs with the Grizzlies. However, what sets Bane apart is that his quality comes with taking 13.2 shots a game in his career compared to Miller’s 10.1 shots per game with the Grizzlies. When you combine usage, shot volume, three-point production, and shot quality, it is hard to deny how impressive Bane has been.

Bane is also averaging 5.1 assists per game this season to go along with his impressive scoring production. Only Morant and Conley have produced seasons in which they averaged 20+ points and 5+ assists per game with the Grizzlies. Even if Bane may see his scoring slightly regress once Morant returns, he could easily maintain his assist production. That would be a huge boost for the Memphis offense.

One other area where Bane has excelled has been in the postseason. Only Morant, Bane, and Randolph have three or more 30+ point playoff games in their career as a member of the Grizzlies. Bane’s career playoff high of 36 points is the most by a Grizzlies’ player not named Morant in the history of the franchise. Bane also holds the single game record for most threes by a Grizzlies’ player in a playoff game with 8. Of the eight Grizzlies with 200 or more career playoff FGAs, Bane (.611) and Morant (.551) have the best true shooting percentage marks.

Labeling Desmond Bane as the second best offensive player in the Memphis era of the Grizzlies is likely not an opinion that will be unanimous. Valid cases can be made for ZBO, Pau Gasol, and others. But when combining how frequently Bane is putting together elite scoring production now along with his ability from three and overall shot quality throughout his career, it is hard to deny his place among the best offensive players during the Grizzlies time in the Bluff City. Furthermore, the fact that Bane is on pace to challenge the single-season franchise scoring record would he a great development to follow in a season that is otherwise disappointing.

Without a doubt, the return of Ja Morant in less than ten days will be a big boost to the Grizzlies offense. And not only have Morant and Bane shown in the past they can be one of the best backcourts in the NBA today, the case can clearly be made that the this current version of the Grizzlies features the two best offensive players this franchise has had during their time in Memphis. If Morant and Bane can get back to dominating games offensively, that could really get things back on track in terms of success in the present and future.