Former Grizzlies guards take shots at organization

While everyone in the national NBA media is focused on a current Memphis Grizziles guard -- the embattled Ja Morant -- three of his former backcourt mates are also getting attention.

First, there was Desmond Bane hitting a buzzer-beater for Orlando against the Portland Trail Blazers, after the Grizzlies traded Bane for a slew of draft picks, and Bane had actually gotten off to a slow Magic start.

Then, there was Marcus Smart, now with the Los Angeles Lakers, reflecting on his Memphis stint in not the most positive terms. Smart claimed in a recent interview with ClutchPoints that he was working to get back from injury but the Grizzlies justified trading him by saying he didn't want to be with them.

"I came back from injury and got traded because they said I didn't want to be there. I'm injured… I don't want to be here? I'm here every day working my a** off… But you know how it is.”

Marcus Smart didn't hold back in this exclusive with @Joe_Sway 👀https://t.co/b5xtFJB7wP
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 13, 2025

And now there's Dillon Brooks, who was with Memphis from 2017 to 2023, a sometimes tumultuous but largely successful tenure before he landed in Houston. Brooks is now with the Phoenix Suns, and has been a catalyst for their surprisingly strong start.

THE DILLON BROOKS GAME pic.twitter.com/sWkOfqxXIO
— Cage (@ridiculouscage) November 14, 2025

After a 32-point performance for Phoenix, Brooks said the last time he wasn't confident was when Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman told him to "only shoot six shots" in a playoff series against the Lakers, a playoff series that was marked by the tension between Brooks and LeBron James. Brooks, many may remember, did not perform especially well in that series, which played a role in his exit.

.@KellanOlson: You remember the last time you weren't confident on the basketball court?

Suns forward Dillon Brooks: "I would say probably the series against the Lakers (with Grizzlies in 2023). I couldn't shoot the ball. The GM (Zach Kleiman) is telling me to only shoot 6… pic.twitter.com/Pv7YGbU6Ip
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 14, 2025

Brooks argued that this "didn't give me the confidence I needed." One could also argue that his shooting in that series didn't make Memphis feel confident. He took 12 shots per game, double the six, and make just 31 percent overall, including 24 percent from deep. He agitated James throughout the series, but it badly backfired.

So perhaps there's some revisionist history from Smart and Brooks. But all this does is increase the intensity on social media and elsewhere as the current Grizzlies squad struggles, and they try to set a course for a brighter future. The Grizzlies are in Cleveland on Saturday, trying to avoid a 4-10 start, with Morant's status still in doubt after he sat out the blowout loss in Boston.

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