For the rest of the month, GBB will be breaking down every Grizzlies player that logged double-digit game appearances for Memphis this season and what their games need moving forward. Welcome to the 2018-2019 Memphis Grizzlies Player Review series!

BY THE NUMBERS (GRIZZLIES ONLY):

49 games played (49 started), 31.2 mpg, 9.4 ppg, 42.9% shooting, 35.2% from 3, 103 offensive rating, 111 defensive rating, 8.6 PER, .05 win shares per 48 minutes

HIGHLIGHTS:

SEASON IN REVIEW:

It has been a strange season for Garrett Temple.

Temple was trading to the Grizzlies this past summer from Sacramento in exchange for Ben McLemore and Deyonta Davis. He was brought in to be a solid veteran presence to play alongside Mike Conley and Marc Gasol to help lead the Grizzlies back to the playoffs. Temple started the season on fire for the Grizzlies, scoring 14.3 points per game on 44.8% and a blazing 51.6% from beyond the arc through the first six games of the season in October. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies Temple cooled off, and outside of a short stretch in December, he never really got going again before being traded to the Clippers alongside JaMychal Green as the Grizzlies got Avery Bradley in return.

Brought in as a smart veteran, Temple for the most part made the right plays for the Grizzlies, making very few mistakes in regards to his assignment and role in the offense. Temple just isn’t talented enough to keep up defensively with the starters in today’s NBA, and his shooting offensively fell off a cliff after his early season success. Things got pretty ugly in early January as Temple and Omri Casspi got into a physical altercation after a loss to the Detroit Pistons. The loss was the Grizzlies 8th over their past 10 games and the altercation just kept the Grizzlies downward spiral going until the trade deadline.

After being traded to the Clippers on February 7th, Temple has seen his role reduced greatly out in Los Angeles. Temple has played 26 games but only started 6, while averaging 4.7 points while shooting 39.6% overall and 29.6% from 3 in just 19.6 minutes a game. The Clippers are currently facing off against the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs and Temple seems to have a minor role as the Clippers attempt to upset the top-seeded Warriors.

What is next?

Temple will be 33 by the time he hits free agency this summer. He isn’t quite at ring chasing age just yet, but he’s getting close. Despite having a down year, Temple figures to have at least a handful of options this summer.

Teams intent on competing in the NBA typically value a guy with the experience Temple has, especially if the nucleus of the team is young. The Nets aren’t making a run at upsetting the Sixers without a guy like Jared Dudley. Vince Carter has been a great mentor to younger players over the tail end of his career in Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento, and now Atlanta.

Temple will likely have two different options this summer. He could take a small salary on a young team looking to make that next step next season with a moderate role. Teams like Brooklyn, Indiana, and Orlando come to mind in this scenario. Temple could also accept a veteran minimum deal and sign with one of the championship contenders but play a very limited role. The Warriors, Bucks, Rockets and Knicks (assuming Kevin Durant goes to New York) come to mind if Temple wants to chase rings.

Regardless, Temple will not be with the Grizzlies next season.

His Grizzlies tenure was short lived and probably a disappointment considering the team failed to meet their goals from the beginning of the season. Regardless, the Grizzlies gave up two terrible players for a decent one in Temple so I can’t grade Temple too hard.

Grade: C+

Stats provided by basketball-reference.com & http://nba.com/stats

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