According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Memphis Grizzlies have signed Bismack Biyombo, a former Phoenix Sun, Toronto Raptor, Charlotte Hornet, and seventh overall pick, using their disabled player exemption.
Biyombo is coming off of a season in which he put up averages of 4 points, 4 rebounds, and a block in 14 minutes of play. The Congolese big man is a terrific shot-blocker, that uses his length and athleticism to protect the rim at a high level.
Beyond that, however, Biyombo has a limited skillset and his slow feet don’t allow him to switch much defensively, rendering him exclusively a player that you have around the basket on both sides of the ball. As for the addition on Memphis’ end, this was a highly needed pickup. The Grizzlies have been without F/C Brandon Clarke since early March of last season, and C Steven Adams since January. While Clarke is expected to return soon (no official timetable, Adams is slated to miss the entirety of the 2023-2024 season due to PCL surgery.
As a result, the Grizzlies’ lack of depth at big man has been glaringly obvious, as Memphis has lost its first three games and only two big men, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman Sr., have played any minutes. The Lakers had originally planned to sign Biyombo as a free agent, but they ultimately decided to sign Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes. In retrospect, though, given their adaptability in comparison to Biyombo, that was definitely the right choice.
