Throughout the history of the Memphis Grizzlies, they have many good players. If Ja Morant wins a championship or makes it to the NBA Finals, he could be the greatest player on this franchise.
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The Memphis Grizzlies are buzzing right now because the team is fighting for the division title. Itās not always like this. The Grizzlies entered the league in 1995 as the Vancouver Grizzlies. The team moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001 and has played there ever since. In the history of the team, the team has only one division championship, which was won last season, and has never entered the NBA Finals.
The team won a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2013, but with Ja Morant and co leading the charge, itās believed the team can return to the Finals 10 years later. Although the Grizzlies are not a championship-level team like the Lakers and Celtics, the team has a deep player background.
It goes back to drafting. Attracting free agents isnāt going to be the first option when you have a small-market franchise. The Grizzlies have a very strong background in drafting good NBA players. The greatest Memphis Grizzlies player of all time is a testament to that. Letās look at those players now. These are the 10 greatest Memphis Grizzlies players of all time.
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Jason Williams
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Years in Memphis: 5 (2001-2005, 2010-2011)
Memphis: 11.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 7.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career: 10.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
Honor: none
After a poor relationship with the Kings, Williams joined the Grizzlies in a trade that involved Nick Anderson for Mike Bibby and Brent Price. The team had just moved to Memphis at the time. In Hubie Brownās first season, the Grizzlies improved by a franchise-record 28 games.
Williams is a reliable guard for the team. He ranks third all-time in assists (2,069) and three-pointers made (500). He also ranks eighth in steals (372). Although he never won any major awards, history shows him to be one of the best defenders on the team.
Kobe Reeves
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Years in Memphis: 5 (1995-2001)
Memphis: 12.5 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Career: 12.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.8 blocks
Honors: All-Rookie Second Team (1996)
Reeve was one of the original greats. When the Grizzlies assembled in 1995, he was the sixth overall pick. This is the first draft in franchise history. Nicknamed āBig Country,ā the 7-foot-0, 290-pound player has spent his entire career in Vancouver. He left the NBA when the team relocated due to a back injury. During the preseason of the 2001-02 season, the back pain was so severe that he was carried on a stretcher by eight teammates.
Reevesā appearances, playing time, field goal percentage, two-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage all rank among the top 10 in team history. His best marks were seventh in defensive rebounds (1,889), sixth in total rebounds (2,745) and fifth in offensive rebounds (856). Heās also one of eight players with at least 300 blocks.
Mike Bibby
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Years in Memphis: 3 (1998-2001)
Memphis: 14.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 7.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career: 14.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.1 blocks
Honors: All-Rookie First Team (1999)
The Grizzlies know how to draft because the next three honorable mentions are members of the All-Rookie First Team. Bibby was selected with the 2nd overall pick in 1998. Heās a solid player for the team. In 2000, he created a team history record of 7 steals in a single game.
Bibby ranks fourth in assists (1,675) and tenth in career steals (317). His career assist mark of 7.8 remains a Grizzlies record. If Ja Morant continues to play at a high level, he could be the player who ends up breaking two decade records.
OJ Mayo
Image credit: Fadeaway World
Years in Memphis: 4 (2008-2012)
Memphis: 15.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career: 13.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks per game
Honors: All-Rookie First Team (2009)
When Mayo entered the league, he impressed a lot of people. He was the 3rd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by USC. The Timberwolves used their draft pick to select Mayo, and the Grizzlies traded the draft rights to Kevin Love, along with Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins. In retrospect, it might have been better to keep Love, but Mayo was still productive.
Mayo finished runner-up to Derrick Rose in Rookie of the Year voting. Mayo scored 40 points in one game during his sophomore season. However, a bout with Tony Allen and a positive test for steroids put a bad mark on his career, and he eventually left the team in 2012. Mayo is ninth in field goal percentage (1,708) and sixth in three-pointers (477). He is ninth in steals and 10th in points (4,584).
Battier
Image credit: Mark D. Smith ā USA TODAY Sports
Years in Memphis: 6 (2001-2006, 2011)
Memphis: 10.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Career: 8.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.9 blocks
Honors: All-Rookie First Team (2002)
Battier started his career in Vancouver before moving to Memphis with the team. Battier was the Grizzliesā sixth overall pick in 2001, and he was selected in the same draft as Pau Gasol, who was eventually traded to the Grizzlies. Battier was known as a hard worker, someone who could defend.
Battier can play shooting guard, small forward, and power forward. Fans love his ability because he has the ability to take charge. He was ninth in games played and eighth in minutes played. His 403 three-pointers made ranked seventh. In rebounding, he ranks sixth in offensive rebounds (764). Defensively, Battier ranks fourth in blocks (428) and fifth in steals (523). To this day, he ranks fourth all-time in value to a bench player.
10. Jaren Jackson Jr.
Image credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Memphis: 5 (2018-present)
Memphis: 15.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.9 BPG
Career: 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.9 blocks per game
Honors: All-Defensive First Team (2022), All-Rookie First Team (2022), Shot Leader (2022)
Jackson, 23, will eventually move up this list. Since being selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2018, he has the potential to be the best defensive player of all time in his Grizzlies career. Last year, Jackson was named to the All-Defensive First Team for the first time and led the league in blocks.
Currently, his career average of 1.9 blocks per game with the Grizzlies is a team record. His 414 blocks rank sixth all-time. It was only a matter of time before he joined Marc Gasol as the only player in franchise history to block more than 1,000 career shots in Memphis.
9. Rudy Gay
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Years in Memphis: 7 (2006-2013)
Memphis: 17.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Career: 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks
Honors: All-Rookie First Team (2007)
Gay was the Grizzliesā eighth overall pick in 2006. He spent seven seasons with the team as a reliable swingman. After averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 43 starts, he was named to the All-Rookie First Team in his first season. In his second season, Gay set a franchise record for points scored in a single season. He even competed in the Rising Star Slam Dunk Contest and finished second in the 2008 Most Improved Player award voting.
When Gay left the Grizzlies in 2013, he was the all-time steal leader, but now ranks fourth. Among his other accolades with the team, Gay ranks fifth in field goal percentage, two-point field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage, defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds and blocks. He also ranks in the top 10 in offensive win shares, defensive win shares and win shares.
8. Mike Miller
Image credit: Mark D. Smith ā USA TODAY Sports
Years in Memphis: 7 (2003-2008, 2013-2014)
Memphis: 13.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career: 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks
Honors: Sixth Man of the Year (2006)
After playing for the Magic, Miller was acquired in a trade with the Grizzlies. Miller won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2006, when he averaged 13.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 47 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range. Miller ended that season often, as he averaged more than 30 minutes per game.
Miller is one of Memphisā best shooters. He ranks seventh in field goals made (2,180) and is the teamās all-time leading three-point shooter with 844 three-pointers made. Heās now second on the list behind Mike Conley Jr. Miller also ranks in the top 10 in rebounds and assists, and ranks seventh in scoring with 5,982 points.
7. Tony Allen
Image credit: Spruce Derden ā USA TODAY Sports
Years in Memphis: 7 (2010-2017)
Memphis: 8.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Career: 8.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.4 blocks
Honors: 3 All-Defensive First Teams (2012, 2013, 2015), 3 All-Defensive Second Teams (2011, 2016, 2017), No. 9 Grizzlies retired
Allen was one of two players retired by the team. Heās the best defensive player ever. He doesnāt have to be an offensive powerhouse because he plays alongside greats like Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Allen knew his role, and that was defense. This included finishing in the top 5 in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2011 and 2013. All told, he was an All-Defensive First Team six times with the Grizzlies.
His defense hasnāt gone unnoticed. Allen ranks ninth in offensive rebounds (741), 10th in blocks (217) and second all-time in steals (796). Allen ranks fourth in defensive win shares and ninth in win shares and value of replacement players.
6. Shareef Abdur-Rahim
Years in Memphis: 5 (1996-2001)
Memphis: 20.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.0 BPG
Career: 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks per game
Honors: All-Rookie First Team (1997)
One of the greatest Grizzlies of all time spent his career in Vancouver. He was the No. 3 pick in the first round by the Grizzlies in 1996 and played in Vancouver for many years. In his first season, he set a team scoring record with 18.7 points per game. After finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting, that will naturally increase with age. Abdul-Rahim had four seasons in which he averaged at least 20 points per game.
Others may not remember how durable he is. Over his five-year career, his 38.0 minutes per game remains a Grizzlies record. Among his other accomplishments, Abdul-Rahim ranks sixth in minutes played and field goal percentage. He ranks fourth in free throws, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and total rebounds (3,070).
5. Ja Morant
Image credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Memphis: 4 (2019-present)
Memphis: 22.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Profession:22.2polypropylene,5.8role playing game,7.9APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Honors: All-Star (2022), All-NBA Second Team (2022), Most Improved Player of the Year (2022), Rookie of the Year (2020), All-Rookie First Team (2020)
In his fourth season, Morant is already a special player. Fortunately, after signing a max contract with the team, he will be a special player for the team for many years to come. Morant was one of two players earning the All-NBA Second Team. Heās also one of five players in franchise history to be named an All-Star. Last year, Morant won the Most Improved Player of the Year award for averaging 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Morant has struggled to climb to the top of the list in several categories. Heās 9th in field goal percentage and 9th in two-point percentageā¦
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