NBA Future Watch: Desmond Bane Basketball Cards, Memphis Grizzlies – Desmond Bane is on a trajectory to stardom that can be measured in tangible ways, such as amazing on-court advancements from Year One to Year Two. For example, he has boosted many key metrics: PPG (9.2 to 17.7), FT% (.816 to .886), RPG (3.1 to 4.4), APG (1.7 to 2.4), SPG (.6 to 1.1) and BPG (.2 to .5). However, in a league where stardom is often defined by one’s place in the public imagination, Bane being called out by Halsey for his trash talk on LeBron James – in a winning effort for Memphis in LeBron’s building – is an equally valid sign that he has arrived.
This young man, only five years old when LeBron debuted in the NBA, never really profiled as a worthy foil for LBJ until this season. Gifted in football, soccer, and baseball as well, Bane’s primary focus did not shift to basketball until high school. Notwithstanding tallying 30 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 6.1 APG and 3.2 BPG during his senior season in Indiana, Bane found himself lightly recruited due to questions about his upside at the collegiate level. Everyone else’s loss was TCU’s gain, as Bane settled in as a sweet-shooting swingman in the Metroplex.
But even Bane’s productive college career offered scant hints of the breakthrough that he would experience at the pro level, topping out on the All-Big 12 Second Team as a junior and All-Big 12 First Team as a senior. When Memphis selected Bane with the final pick of the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, he became the first player from TCU in exactly a quarter-century to go before the second round. Interestingly, the “yes, he’s a lethal shooter all over the floor, but what else can he do” commentary mirrored that of Klay Thompson almost a decade earlier – a player that Bane has emulated in his path of improvement. 
While it’s odd that Bane’s elite floor spacing was slept on by so many teams currently, wingspan is also highly valued, and he suffered in the eyes of many scouts on that metric.
However, due in large part to hard work, defense has been one of Bane’s areas of improvement through his first two pro seasons, along with playmaking. But the absolute showstopper among all of Bane’s credentials is a career 3% of .425. A vital part of Memphis’s ascension to legitimate championship contention, Desmond Bane is now being noticed by basketball enthusiasts and celebrities alike.
NBA Future Watch: Desmond Bane Basketball Cards, Memphis Grizzlies – Stats
NBA Future Watch: Desmond Bane Basketball Cards, Memphis Grizzlies – More Resources
- Secondary Market Pricing
- NBA.com Player Profile
- Beckett Card Catalogue
- Desmond Bane on Twitter
- Panini Immaculate NBA Basketball Cards
- Panini Chronicles NBA Basketball Cards
- Panini Hoops NBA Basketball Cards
NBA Future Watch: Desmond Bane Basketball Cards, Memphis Grizzlies – Image Gallery
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