Memphis Grizzlies Make Roster Moves On Wednesday

The Memphis Grizzlies announced on Wednesday that they have assigned Jake LaRavia, Kennedy Chandler and Vince Williams Jr. to the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G League.

The Memphis Grizzlies, despite all of their injury concerns through the first part of the 2022-23 season, have been one of the top teams in the Western Conference.

While just five games separate Memphis, the top spot in the West, from being out of the playoff picture entirely, the Grizzlies have once again cemented themselves as a playoff contender.

One of the reasons for this team’s success is their depth, as Memphis currently ranks 11th in the league in bench points per game and they are excited about what the future holds for some of their new rookies.

Developing their youth and getting them as much experience as possible is the main goal of the Grizzlies right now, which is why they decided to send Jake LaRavia, Kennedy Chandler and Vince Williams Jr. to the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G League on Wednesday.

The @memgrizz have assigned Jake LaRavia and Kennedy Chandler and have transferred Vince Williams Jr. to the @MemphisHustle.

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) December 21, 2022

Grizzlies PR: “The @memgrizz have assigned Jake LaRavia and Kennedy Chandler and have transferred Vince Williams Jr. to the @MemphisHustle.”

LaRavia was drafted 19th overall by Memphis in this past year’s draft and he has played for the Grizzlies the most this season out of the three rookies named above.

In a total of 19 games, LaRavia has averaged 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 38.0 percent from three-point range.

As for Chandler and Williams, both of them have been utilized as end-of-bench talents for the Grizzlies, really only seeing action near the end of a game that is a blowout.

All three rookies display a ton of upside moving forward and perhaps the one thing that sticks out about all of them is the fact that the Grizzlies drafted them for their high basketball IQ’s and athleticism.

The Grizzlies have built a young, sustainable roster through the years with these exact kinds of players, which is why they are very excited about what the future holds for LaRavia, Chandler and Williams.

Getting them extra reps and practice in the G League will only pay off down the road, which is why they made this move on Wednesday.

Jake LaRavia, Kennedy Chandler and Vince Williams Jr. could very much rejoin the team in the NBA ahead of the Grizzlies’ game in Phoenix on Friday. 

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