The Memphis Grizzlies underperformed in the 2023 NBA Summer League, going 2-3 despite second-year pros Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Vincent Williams Jr. playing excellently.
This is in large part due to inefficient scoring efforts of forwards Jake LaRavia, David Roddy and GG Jackson. However, there were a couple of players on the Grizzlies roster who might have made a larger impact if given the opportunity.
Chief among them may be 2023 second-round pick Tarik Biberovic, who averaged 6.8 points per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from 3 in the Las Vegas Summer League. Despite the work he needs on his outside jumper, wing Aminu Mohammed — who went undrafted out of UCLA in 2022 — also had a solid impact when he played.
Yet, when looking at players that fit a need for the Grizzlies and that could legitimately make their 2023-24 roster, there's one player whose lack of playing time comes into full focus: 23-year-old big man Manny Bates.
What Manny Bates brings to the Grizzlies
Scoring upside
Despite being a solid rim-running threat thanks to his athleticism, Manny Bates is one of the more skilled scorers among today's big men, capable of scoring out to the midrange with soft touch on his jumper. Bates also has the footwork to score from the midpost or low-post, enhancing his offensive value.
Shooting 63.4 percent from the field after playing four seasons collegiately, Bates is an efficient scorer as well, although his numbers from the 2023 NBA Summer League (5-13 from the field) don't reflect that. For the Memphis Grizzlies, having yet another center that's capable of being a consistent scoring threat allows them to breathe a little bit easier if they should find themselves falling victim to the injury bug yet again.
With that in mind, if the Grizzlies were willing to bring Bates on with a two-way contract, he would be to adjust to the NBA with reps in the G League while remaining available in case of an injury to a player like Jaren Jackson Jr., Steven Adams or even power forward Brandon Clarke (the latter two have played in fewer than 60 games in two of the last three seasons).
Interior defense
If there's one bankable skill that Manny Bates can rely on defensively, it's his ability to impact shots around the rim with size at 6-foot-11, 230 pounds and a wingspan that's been listed in-between 7-foot-3 and 7-foot-5.
Averaging 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2023 NBA Summer League and 2.5 blocks in 23.9 minutes per game in the NCAA, Bates isn't the most formidable shot-blocker in the country. However, he's capable of both guarding his man straight-up in the low-post or using his short area quickness to his advantage as a help defender. Bates needs to continue refining both his body and defensive technique upon entering the league but at 23-years-old, he has plenty of room to grow.
If Bates does land with the Grizzlies, his interior defense fits the mold of players like Steven Adams and — to a lesser extent — Jaren Jackson Jr., improving his chances of being signed.
Screen-setting
An underrated skill that big men possess is the ability to set a rock-solid screen, and Manny Bates does just that with an NBA-ready body.
Again, Bates should still refine his physique in order to add strength that will help him be a more effective low-usage pivot. Nonetheless, for a team such as the Memphis Grizzlies, having a big man that can clear room for elite lane penetrator like Ja Morant, or upper echelon shooters like Desmond Bane and Luke Kennard is key to their success. In fact, the most important skill that veteran center Steven Adams possesses is arguably his ability to set screens.
While his strength has become the stuff of legend, Adams averaged a league-high 5.6 screen assists per game last season, leading to 12.6 screen assist points per game. In the 2021-22 season, which Adams also spent with the Grizzlies, he averaged 5.5 screen assists per game for 12.0 screen assist points per game.
For all the skills that bowling ball Kenneth Lofton Jr. possesses as a center, the ability to impact the game at a high level with screens isn't seen as one of them thanks to his lack of height at 6-foot-7. All that is to say, it wouldn't hurt to have Bates around, even if only for that purpose.
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