Memphis Grizzlies: Which players have disappointed in 2021?

The Memphis Grizzlies have had an extremely up and down 2021 season. There have been a handful of players who have been positive surprises, helping Memphis reach 10 wins.

These players include Ja Morant, who is having the best season of his career thus far, and Jaren Jackson Jr., who is staying out of foul trouble and knocking down his long-range shot. Desmond Bane has also been an extremely positive source of offense.

But even with these top performers, this Grizz team has struggled at times. A large reason behind this can be attributed to poor performances from players who have shown that they can play better.

Which Memphis Grizzlies players have had the most disappointing 2021-22 seasons?

Steven Adams: Much like the surprising players list starts and ends with Desmond Bane, the disappointing players list starts and ends with Steven Adams. The Kiwi center came into Memphis with hopes of rejuvenating his career after a disappointing stretch with the New Orleans Pelicans where he averaged just 7.6 points, the second-lowest total of his career.

After 20 games in Memphis, Adams is scoring just 6.6 points per game. Adams is shooting a new career-low field goal percentage under 50% and has been obsolete defensively. There’s no way around it — even after a strong start, the Grizz center has been really bad.

Ziaire Williams: This one is less surprising. The Grizzlies’ 20-year-old first-round draft pick was always going to be a long-term project, especially after a slow year in his one-and-done college season. That said, Williams is struggling to get involved in the team’s offense, attempting just 5.4 shots per game with over 18 minutes played per contest.

When he does take shots, they are not going in — Williams is shooting just 35.6% from the field. As his career progresses, he should improve. For now, all we can do is sit back and hope that Taylor Jenkins finds a way to fit him into this scheme.

John Konchar: John Konchar was a fan-favorite player in the 2020-21 season. The former undrafted wing out of Purdue Fort Wayne always put in good minutes though, having an impact every time he was on the floor. The Grizz reserve wing was knocking down 37.5% of his three-pointers and was a feisty defender.

In 2021, he hasn’t been either of those things. The odd part here is that he barely played last season, while in 2021-22, he’s been part of the team’s primary backup rotation. His scoring has dropped from a year ago and his turnovers have increased — Konchar can be good, but he has to get into a similar groove to what we saw last year.