The Memphis Grizzlies have been the surprise success story of the 2022 NBA season, on track to finish with the league’s second-best record. Memphis has done so without any real star power outside of future MVP candidate Ja Morant.
This summer, the Grizzlies may look to add another under-the-radar player to bolster their deep roster. TJ Warren, out since December 2020 due to an injury to his left foot, has been mentioned as a possible option.
Warren comes with concerns, having missed 150 consecutive games for the Indiana Pacers, but is a potential high-upside signing. The season before his injury, Warren averaged 19.8 points on elite 54/40/82 shooting splits. Most notably, TJ Warren dropped 53 points on 20-29 shooting in a game during the NBA’s 2020 restart.
Since then, Warren has played just 13 NBA games, so his price tag in free agency will likely not be high, even though he is fully recovered from his injury, per reports.
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A cheap price tag could make Warren all the more enticing to Memphis, who will start paying Jaren Jackson Jr nearly $30 million next season and will almost certainly need to reward Ja Morant with a max contract in 2023.
This coming offseason, Warren would potentially be replacing the Memphis Grizzlies’ Kyle Anderson, an unrestricted free agent. Anderson, affectionately nicknamed “Slo-Mo” for his deliberately slow-playing style, has been a critical part of the Memphis rotation. Anderson averages 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals, but his impact on the team is more than his box score stats.
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Warren’s assist and rebound numbers have never reached Anderson’s marks this season, but the forward would still be a valuable addition to Memphis because of his scoring. Like much of the Memphis roster, Warren is a versatile scorer capable of firing from deep, midrange, or finishing at the rim.
This offseason, a potential steal of free agency, keep an eye on TJ Warren.
