Needing help to shore up their point guard depth while Mike Conley remains sidelined with a back injury, the Memphis Grizzlies have signed veteran guard Toney Douglas.
Besides Conley, the banged-up Grizzlies are also dealing with injuries to Chandler Parsons, Vince Carter, Brandan Wright and James Ennis. With such a high number of injured players, the Grizzlies were able to sign Douglas by using the NBA's hardship exception.
Douglas spent time with the Cavaliers at the start of the season but was cut in October. He played for the Pelicans last season and averaged 8.7 points and 2.6 assists in 61 games. Douglas is a journeyman player and besides playing for the Pelicans and Cavs, he's spent time with the Knicks, Rockets, Kings, Warriors and Heat. His brief tenure with the Heat likely contributed to the Grizzlies signing him as Memphis coach David Fizdale was an assistant when Douglas played in Miami.
Shooting a career-high 39.9 percent from deep last season, Douglas does provide 3-point shooting. However, he likely won't that have that large of a role on the Grizzlies.
Since Conley's absence, the Grizzlies have gone 2-1 and with rookie Andrew Harrison starting in Conley's place. Harrison has played well and is averaging 12.7 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in Memphis' last three games. His shot has improved in this stretch as well, shooting 48.1 percent and 50 percent from 3.
Backing up Harrison, rookie Wade Baldwin has also been a solid contributor for Memphis. He had an excellent 7-point, 9-assist performance in Memphis' 103-100 win over the Lakers on Saturday and is playing well off the bench. In Memphis' last three games, Baldwin is averaging 5.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 20.8 minutes.
With Harrison and Baldwin doing a fine job of filling in for Conley so far, Douglas is just added insurance. Plus adding a veteran like Douglas doesn't hurt Memphis as they try to remain in playoff contention.
