National Basketball Association

Memphis Grizzlies Player Preview: Troy Daniels

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Troy Daniels has come a long way in his short career while making plenty of stops, but will the Memphis Grizzlies be his new long-term home?

The Memphis Grizzlies finished 24th in the league in points per game last year and although their bench scoring finished in the top five, overall scoring was a priority that needed to be fixed. One of the ways the Grizzlies addressed this was by going after Troy Daniels. Daniels might be able to be the spark plug they need that adds a new scoring punch to their offense.

How Troy Daniels Became a Grizzly

Troy Daniels came into the NBA as an undrafted free agent out of Shaka Smart’s VCU program. After not getting drafted, he started his professional basketball career with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA Developmental League. He began to excel in the D-League, where he averaged 21.5 points per game and made the D-League All-Star Game. This led to the Rockets giving him a chance in 2014. That chance led to one of his more famous plays where he hit the go-ahead 3-point shot to lift the Rockets past the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs. Daniels finished with 17 points in that game and averaged 7.8 points per game over the course of that series.

His playoff performance led to the Rockets re-signing him, but he didn’t last there long when before being ttraded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He only played 17 games for the Timberwolves before he was traded again to the Charlotte Hornets. Last year, Daniels participated in 43 games with the Hornets averaging 5.6 points per game. The Grizzlies saw enough to sign him to a 3-year, $10 million contract.

Best Case Scenario

The Grizzlies, as of recent years, have always been a poor shooting team last year. Last year they finished 29th in the league in 3-point percentage. Daniels has made 43 percent of his 3s over his NBA career. He has turned into a volume scorer who averages 17.5 points per 36 minutes. He isn’t the best passer or defender, but with the Grizzlies that can be covered up some. He hasn’t had a point guard with Mike Conley’s distributing abilities and with the addition of Chandler Parsons, they also have above average passers in both the small forward and center position. This

Mar 14, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Troy Daniels (30) shoots a three pointer in the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

should lead to plenty of looks for Daniels to take advantage of his shooting and the Grizzlies will have him out there to provide that offense. He could flourish with the Grizzlies and possibly achieve starter’s minutes averaging 12-15 points per game providing the missing outside shot the Grizzlies have looked for. Taking pressure off of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph opens up the whole offense and the Grizzlies address their needs with the signing of one player.

Worst Case Scenario

The worst case scenario is that Daniels can’t even crack the rotation. If he can’t get on the floor, then he won’t be able to help the team. With Tony Allen, Jordan Adams, and Wade Baldwin IV on the team, it’s realistic that Daniels may not get meaningful minutes. If the Grizzlies feel that Daniels shooting isn’t enough to put him on the floor or his shots aren’t efficient enough, they could decide that Allen’s defense, Adam’s potential, or Baldwin’s IV play-making are more important.

Actual Scenario

Daniels should get around 15-20 minutes per game and provide the quick scoring burst for a few minutes that he is known for his whole career. His shooting should be able to boost the offense when he gets out there. Averaging around eight to 10 points per game is doable for Daniels. Realistically, he could also be a part of the crunch-time lineup. He is known to make big shots late in big games and the Grizzlies could use a guy who steps up in important moments. Daniels will more than likely make solid contributions to the team and his playing time will be hot and cold just like the player he is.