This is Halloween, the season when spooks and scares are very popular. We at BSB are getting enough freight already from the Memphis Grizzlies’ 0–4 start to the 2023–24 season, despite the fact that some people could gravitate toward things like ghostly tales to get into the holiday spirit.
Even though basketball is just a sport, there are a lot of unique characteristics of the game that might make you shudder.
Across the NBA alone, all active franchises have endured their fair share of horrors in one way or another throughout their existence, and, in a recently published piece by Bleacher Report, writer Zach Buckley pointed out how the Grizzlies have been responsible for several harrowing ordeals, one in which that still seems to be “haunting” a legitimate championship favorite.
The topic of discussion: the decision by the Boston Celtics to trade Desmond Bane directly after selecting him with the 30 pick back in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Grizzlies acquisition of Desmond Bane back in 2020 still ‘haunting’ Celtics
Stocked with three total first-round selections during the illustrious June event, the Celtics had already opted to nab wing Aaron Nesmith and guard Payton Pritchard with the 14 and 26 picks, respectively, before Bane was scooped up.
As noted in the piece, had Boston kept all of the aforementioned talents in tow it would have “nudged them closer to the luxury tax,” so, in turn, they decided to ship the former TCU standout to the Grizzlies for a pair of future second-round picks, which, as Buckley stated, is a move that they’ve “surely been kicking themselves ever since.”
Throughout his four-year career in the association, Bane has only continued to improve upon his game with every passing season.
During last year’s campaign, even while suffering from a nagging toe injury that required offseason surgery, the guard still went on to post, then, career-best averages of 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep.
As a result of this production, Bane earned himself a lucrative new contract with the Grizzlies that will keep him around through at least the 2028-29 season.
Now, during these early stages of his follow-up campaign, despite their winless start the newly-minted $207 million man has only seemed to raise his game to another level, as he’s boasting stellar averages of 25.5 points, 4.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game while converting on a highly efficient 48.7 percent of his shot attempts.
Bane, who is only 25 years old, has already proven to be one of the finest young backcourt players in the league on both sides of the court, leading many to predict that he will be selected as an All-Star soon.
Almost any club in the league would be angry to miss out on this kind of productivity, especially the Celtics who aggressively tried to get rid of it before they even got a true taste.
Fans and franchise participants alike will surely find it uncomfortable to consider “what could have been” in regard to Bane.
