NEW YORK — The Memphis Grizzlies are running out of time on a decision they may have assumed was no longer a priority: What should they do with Jake LaRavia?
Now in his third year with the franchise — and set to hit unrestricted free agency at its conclusion — LaRavia is healthier and having by far his best campaign yet. He hired a chef to improve his diet, he is spending more time in the weight room, doing more yoga, and he feels limber. It’s everything Memphis believed possible for LaRavia when it acquired his draft rights and made him a first-round pick in 2022.
By November 2024, though, the Grizzlies were seemingly ready to give up on him ever reaching these heights. Following two injury-plagued years to start his career, Memphis already made the first move in determining LaRavia’s fate by declining his fourth-year team option. Initial reporting, however, suggested the front office remained interested in working on a new deal for LaRavia this offseason.
Now all 30 teams will have an equal opportunity to sign the 6-foot-7, 23-year-old forward shooting 44.4 percent on his 3-pointers, meaning a new contract could cost more than expected. All the while, LaRavia developed into an ideal fit for the exact style of basketball that has the Grizzlies fighting atop the Western Conference this season.
This comes back to the question Memphis can no longer avoid: Should the Grizzlies keep giving valuable rotation minutes to LaRavia, knowing that he has played a legitimate role in the team’s success despite his lack of a long-term contract? Or should Memphis make LaRavia expendable before Thursday’s trade deadline and thus offer even more minutes to a player like G.G. Jackson, a more natural scorer?
Jackson, 20, might need a bit more time developing before he can impact games like LaRavia. But he still has multiple years left on his contract. It might seem like an easy decision looking at their box scores. In the Memphis locker room, however, LaRavia’s true value has never been more apparent.
“Some stuff might not even be in the stat sheet,” Grizzlies star Ja Morant told For The Win about LaRavia. “But it leads to winning.”
HUSTLE HIS WAY INTO MINUTES
When Jake LaRavia was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft, it was immediately obvious how the Grizzlies intended to use him.
Memphis was acquiring players who could complement Morant by providing other ways of impacting winning that did not necessarily involve scoring. The versatility LaRavia showed in college at Wake Forest and Indiana State made him an instantly attractive prospect.
Then the injuries cropped up. A back issue during his rookie season, then an ailing ankle as a sophomore, left LaRavia with fewer chances to prove himself. LaRavia is now earning those minutes back on the court for Memphis in a big way.
“For the most part, when I’m out on the court, my main goal is to do all the little things: The dirty work, the 50-50 balls, the one-more passes,” LaRavia said. “Just making the right play pretty much every time.”
The analytics back this up, too. LaRavia is averaging 3.6 deflections per 36 minutes (third-best on the team) along with a team-high 0.8 defensive loose balls recovered per 36 minutes, helping create momentum and advantages — or “winning plays” in the words of teammate Scotty Pippen Jr.
These things matter considerably for a team that is looking to make a postseason run.
“He is an active body,” Memphis forward Santi Aldama said. “That is a point of growth for him, and that is why he has been so successful.”
PLAYING FAST OFF THE BENCH
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins tends to favor using a deeper rotation. So for now, there is enough playing time to go around for almost everyone.
“[LaRavia] has just taken off since the start of the season with his opportunity [of us] playing 10 guys, playing 11 guys,” Jenkins explained. “His net rating, his impact, it’s been really good for us and something we’ve leaned on a lot, especially in those bench units.”
Among the three-man lineups that have logged at least 160 minutes together so far this season, one involving LaRavia is tied for having the best overall net rating in the league. Memphis has outscored its opponents by 27.0 points per 100 possessions when he has appeared alongside Aldama and Luke Kennard.
“We want to keep killing the team,” Aldama said. “Make sure they don’t score. Run as fast as possible for 48 minutes. Teams are not willing to not do that normally.”
This is all part of the plan and identity for the Grizzlies, a team that moves around a ton and stays running as often as possible. They lead the league in pace (by a wide margin) as well as distance traveled and average speed both offensively and defensively.
LaRavia’s buy-in of this philosophy has especially caught the attention of teammate Desmond Bane. While admiring LaRavia’s defensive abilities and rebounding, Bane noted that “running the floor” is a major source of LaRavia’s positive impact.
“I wouldn’t consider myself fast in short distances,” LaRavia said. “But I’m hustling. I’m playing hard every time I’m on the court. I’m not really taking plays off. If there is a fastbreak opportunity for the other team, some guys might get out of the way. I’m sprinting back to try to make a play on the ball. Whenever I’m off the ball, I’m sprinting.”
LaRavia isn’t just running hard relative to his other Memphis teammates. Among all NBA players with at least 900 minutes played this season, he leads the entire league in average speed (5.10 miles per hour) while on offense.
He has also increased his paint touches from 1.5 per 36 minutes as a rookie all the way up to 3.6 so far this season. Once he is near the rim, he has shown an ability to finish plays efficiently, which Jenkins appreciates.
LaRavia is currently 17-of-20 (85.0 percent) when cutting to the basket, which has helped earn him the trust of his teammates.
“He is one of the guys who, when we thought about adopting a new offensive philosophy, [we thought] he was going to thrive because he’s got great cutting awareness and offensive rebounding,” Jenkins said.
IMPACTFUL IMPROVEMENTS
Perhaps most noticeable are the strides that LaRavia has made as a playmaker. He has increased his passes made per 36 minutes from 32.3 as a rookie and 35.4 as a second-year player to 50.6 this season. He has also increased his potential assists per 36 minutes from 3.9 as a rookie and then 4.5 during his second professional campaign to 7.4 in 2024-25.
LaRavia describes this as nothing more than knowing when to play unselfish basketball — making the right play, committing to making the extra pass — and knowing when to go after his own opportunities.
“I think his playmaking has taken a step up, the way he is able to find others,” Pippen explained. “I feel like his overall game is helping us a lot and his ability to stay aggressive while also finding others.”
Likewise, Brandon Clarke praised LaRavia’s passing and IQ. Jenkins, too, has taken note of the overall progress from LaRavia and feels he is a good fit in the new-look Memphis offense. And the advanced metrics behind those wins continue to spotlight LaRavia’s play.
Among all players who have logged at least 800 minutes both this season and last season, his year-over-year improvement in Box Plus-Minus (BPM) ranks fifth-best in the NBA, trailing only those like NBA Most Improved Player candidate Norman Powell. Among all players who have not started a game, LaRavia currently ranks fourth-best in Win Shares (2.5), per Stathead.
“He’s just been locked in,” Bane said. “He’s been continuing to grow. His process is continuing to get better. He has a good process and a lot of work and the confidence comes from that. He’s been playing well and it’s a big addition for us.”
Eventually, though, this may all reach a tipping point. The looming trade deadline could make the Grizzlies force their hand and try to return some value for LaRavia if they feel they are not able to re-sign him to a new contract this summer.
Would he provide similar value to a team that plays a different style from Memphis? Any contender could certainly use someone who doesn’t need the ball and provides hustle plays off the bench. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see LaRavia included in a larger deal if Memphis is able to take a big swing.
Until then, there is a lot to appreciate about what he has finally provided this season. LaRavia is appreciating the ride, too, and has kept his goals fairly simple no matter what happens.
“At the end of the day, I want to compete and play for a team that competes,” LaRavia emphasized. “Be healthy. Be in the rotation for as long as I can for whatever team that is competing for a championship every year.”
Meanwhile, In Memphis, the clock continues ticking. Both on the Grizzlies’ championship window and LaRavia’s place in it.
