The Memphis Grizzlies suffered a devastating blow this week when it was announced that star point guard Ja Morant would miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. The Grizzlies had just got Morant back in the lineup following his suspension and had been playing much better basketball with him in the lineup. With Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose also sidelined with injury, that leaves the team's backcourt a little thin. That's probably a key factor in why the Grizzlies chose to convert Vince Williams Jr.'s contract to a standard deal as per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Vince Williams Jr. had been in his second season with the Grizzlies both on a two-way contract. He would have been limited to only 50 games had he remained on the two-way contract. He had already played a little over half of that allocation with 27 games. He began the season out of the rotation, but has since become a key player in the Grizzlies backcourt.

During those 27 games, including eight starts, Williams had been playing a little under 22 minutes per game. He had been averaging 5.9 points per game, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists with splits of 37.5 percent shooting from the field, 35.1 percent shooting from the three point line and 83.3 percent shooting from the free throw line. He has also become one of the better perimeter defensive players in the NBA.

Williams was the No. 47 overall pick by the Grizzlies in the 2022 NBA Draft. Wojnarowki reports that Williams' three-year, $7.9 million contract is the largest deal for any player coming off a two-way contract.