Uncertainty clouds the Memphis Grizzlies entering the 2023-24 season with Ja Morant's 25-game suspension to begin the campaign. A lot of the offensive load will fall on the broad shoulders of Desmond Bane, who has become one of the premier three-point shooters in the NBA. A lot already view Bane as a budding star in the league. But the Grizzlies guard will shock a lot of people when he breaks out into an All-Star this upcoming 2023-24 NBA season, especially with the opportunity he will get with Morant's absence.

Bane did undergo surgery in his right toe during the summer to address a fracture that bothered him throughout the 2022-23 season. He suffered the injury in November and missed more than a couple of months of action. But he ended up playing through the injury the rest of the year and helped the Grizzlies get the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference amid all the Ja Morant drama that happened throughout the campaign.

Nonetheless, Bane said during media day that in terms of getting back to being 100 percent, he's “about there.” He added that he ultimately made the right choice in going under the knife and that he feels good heading into Year 4. Entering the new campaign with a clean bill of health and more playmaking duties due to Morant's absence, expect big things from Desmond Bane this 2023-24 season.

 

 

Grizzlies breakout player: Desmond Bane

Bane is heading into his fourth NBA season with a lot of confidence after inking a massive $207 million maximum contract with the Grizzlies this summer. The 25-year-old, who was drafted 30th overall by the Boston Celtics in 2020 before getting acquired by Memphis, has increased his scoring average in each of his three years in the league. From averaging 9.2 points as a rookie, Bane nearly doubled his production to 18.2 points in Year 2. He was a candidate to win the Most Improved Player award, but it ultimately went to his teammate Ja Morant.

Nonetheless, Bane continued his ascension this past 2022-23 season, where he averaged 21.5 points. The 6-foot-5 guard has also become more than a shooter and a scorer. He averaged a career-best 5.0 assists this season. Expect him to utilize his improved playmaking skills more for the Grizzlies with Morant serving his suspension through December.

It will be interesting if his efficiency takes a hit considering most teams will make him the primary focus defensively on a nightly basis to begin the season. For his career, has shot 46.9 percent from the field overall, 42.5 percent from three, and 88.3 percent from the freethrow line, good for an elite true shooting percentage of 59.9 percent.

Desmond Bane's growth through the years

As seen with his career percentage from beyond the arc, Bane has always been an elite three-point shooter. But like many late first-round picks, he initially began his career as a specialist. He was mostly a spot-up shooter as a rookie — 41.3 percent of his three-point shots came off catch-and-shoot situations. That number has gone down to nearly half (21.9 percent) in Year 3, as he's become more adept in scoring off the dribble with 20.5 percent of his threes coming off pull-ups.

Another indication of his growth as a shot creator is the fact that over 27 percent of his shots in the 2022-23 season came after three to six dribbles. Over 50 percent of his shots as a rookie were off the catch.

Moreover, Bane has also become more adept in scoring in a variety of ways. He's still mostly bombing away from beyond the arc — 43.3 percent of his attempts are still three-pointers. But the percentage of his shots within 10 feet of the basket have risen from just over 30 percent as a rookie to nearly 44 percent in his third season.

Expect those numbers to keep rising as he continues adding to his game and enters this season with a primary creator role on offense.