Headlines
#30 – Desmond Bane – Memphis Grizzlies
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
With the 30th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies select Desmond Bane from TCU. The Grizzlies acquired the pick in a trade with the Boston Celtics.
Bane, a 43.3 percent shooter in his four years at TCU, is one of the draft’s best from distance. Comfortable as a spot-up shooter, off the dribble and coming off screens, Bane should immediately contribute to a Grizzlies team that ranked just 23rd in three-point shooting a season ago. Bane is willing to move with or without the ball and more often than not will see the right play and know when to make it.
Defensively, Bane’s fundamentals are strong and, for what he lacks in pure athleticism, he more than compensates for with his strength and quickness in his defensive stance. He isn’t going to be a game-breaker for Memphis, but he should be more than able to hold his own on every possession.
That lack of athleticism may limit his overall upside, but the Grizzlies, with the 30th pick, should be overjoyed that Bane fell into their lap. He should contribute almost immediately off the bench, despite the fact that the Grizzlies already had one of the highest-scoring benches in the NBA (41.1 points per game) last season.
