Why Desmond Bane should lead Grizzlies' offense over Ja Morant

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The Memphis Grizzlies are starting to feel the pain three-quarters of the way through the 2024-25 NBA season. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant are still growing as leaders, but also learning it’s hard to contribute much from the bench. Still, injuries are a part of the job so Taylor Jenkins is going to have to tinker with the Grizzlies’ rotations and everyone’s responsibilities as the two All-Stars heal up. Fans will be looking for Desmond Bane to have a breakout amid a mostly under the radar season.

Desmond Bane taking some ball-handling duties from Ja Morant could help the currently fourth Grizzlies (38-23) finish the season strong. This approach would reduce Morant’s workload, potentially lowering injury risk, and perhaps give the Memphis a more versatile offensive playbook in the postseason. It might also give Bane more opportunities to create some attention-grabbing highlights. Jenkins needs to keep everyone happy after all.

Given Bane’s proven ability to handle the ball and Morant’s injury history, the 10 following stats make a good case for spreading the ball around more earlier in the shot clock.

Grizzlies getting by on ballhandling

Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. already have All-Star resumes while Desmond Bane is sometimes overlooked even in Memphis. A look at the numbers suggests the TCU alum deserves some time at the wheel, especially while the other two stars rest. If Morant is out, Bane, Jaylen Wells, and Scotty Pippen Jr. are the only other point guard options.

Tactically, Wells is needed more as an All-NBA level defender who provides spacing. Pippen Jr., needing to be split up from Bane’s minutes, would get a chance to shine running the second unit. Regardless of availability, Bane (47 games played) has been bullying his way to points more efficiently and more often than Morant (37) all season.

• Drives
  • Morant: 607 (16.4 per game – 50 total turnovers)
  • Bane: 503 (10.3 per game – 36 total turnovers)
• Drives that end in Points (by assists)
  • Morant: 60.6% (12.2%)
  • Bane: 50.9% (10.5%)
• Field Goal Percentage on Drives
  • Morant: 48.9%
  • Bane: 53.6%

Forget the last-second blip in the loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Taylor Jenkins will trust the entire locker room when it comes to treading water in the Western Conference without Jaren Jackson Jr. That starts with Desmond Bane, who has handled initiation responsibilities well enough to be trusted with the ball a few more times per game even when Ja Morant is healthy.

The Grizzlies will still get to lean on paint pressure, finding the extra pass, or finishing at the rim. Memphis might even cut down on turnovers while helping Morant, averaging only 20.9 points per game as the focal point, find open lanes to the rim. He seems to prefer finishing drives whereas Bane is 50-50 on the shot-pass scale.

• Turnover Rate
  • Morant: 37.9%
  • Bane: 25.5%
• Passes Made Per Game
  • Morant: 40.4
  • Bane: 48.6
• Pass Percentage from Drives
  • Morant: 34.4%
  • Bane: 47.3%
• Assists to Turnover Ratio
  • Morant: 1.92
  • Bane: 2.10

Bane has been asked to cut, shoot, and finish plays later in the shot clock but still finds a way to keep teammates involved and turnovers down. The Grizzlies should give him more time to work but Jenkins will have to be creative. Sticking Morant in the corner is not a recipe for success. The two have to work in tandem or the minutes need to be split up more often.

Shooting numbers slightly off

Being able to pull up off the dribble and drain a three keeps defenses honest, when those shots go in. Ja Morant is being asked to take more threes and attack less by opponents lately and it’s a problem the Grizzlies must solve soon. Letting Morant get out of focus and catch the ball with a head of steam elsewhere should catch the defense off guard more often than not. Bane is better pulling up with a dribble.

• Off the Dribble Effective FG%
  • Morant: 35.3%
  • Bane: 52%
• Off the Dribble FG%
  • Morant: 28.7%
  • Bane: 40.8%
• Off the Dribble Three Point Shooting
  • Morant: 25.6%
  • Bane: 37.5%

Bane’s off the dribble threat is far superior and it shows in both the attempts (157 to 86) and accuracy. Of course, there are reasons besides the height difference that Morant is the lead guard and Bane usually works off the ball. Bane draws fewer fouls than Morant, just for one example. Still, the Grizzlies have got to get out of their comfort zone philosophically if they want to ease back up the standings while Jackson Jr. is out.

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