Desmond Bane (SG, MEM) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

Memphis guard Desmond Bane is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 13 of the NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 1% of leagues

ANALYSIS: The Grizzlies have effectively kept me guessing as to which of their guards would remain viable for rostering in deeper leagues; with Desmond Bane, Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, and even Justise Winslow having been a part of that fold. If Desmond Bane was a point guard, he might be completely out of luck as a rookie sharing time with De'Anthony Melton, Jones, and Ja Morant. If Bane was a forward, the same situation would manifest behind layers and layers of combo forwards in Memphis; but Bane is a straight-up shooting guard, which means his competition for PT is less intense and he can get down to his usual business whenever his number is called.

Bane was acquired by the Grizz in the 2020 Draft because he can shoot threes absolutely dead-eye, and the Grizz were in desperate need of that. So far, Bane averages 22.5 minutes over 35 games, putting up 9.6 points and 2.9 rebounds a game. That sounds rather humdrum because it is; and that's because the kicker is his 60.5% effective field goal rate, 62.3% true shooting rate, 86.2% FT rate, and pinpoint-accurate 44.9% three-point success rate (1.7 out of 3.9 per contest). It might seem like he's been on an up-and-down rookie rollercoaster ride in 2021, but he has actually produced near-identical statistics across the board for each month from December to March. He produced in almost every category while at TCU, most intriguingly, racking up 1.1 and 1.5 steals per game over his last two seasons. Don't count on Desmond Bane to help carry the rebound/assist load for the week, because Grind City has numerous other players to specifically focus on those niche areas; but with Bane's scoring, accuracy from the FT/Three-Point line, and a defensive pedigree from the Big 12 that makes one think that he's getting those active hands warmed up to the professional level, Desmond Bane is an under-the-radar rookie you'll want part of in deeper leagues.

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