Club signs guard to a two-year deal; forward Johnson also signs contract
The last time Grizzlies interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff saw MarShon Brooks in an NBA uniform before this season they were in different NBA cities, and Brooks unknowingly made a lasting impression on his future coach.
Brooks played for Brooklyn while Bickerstaff served as an assistant with Houston.
“I remember there were games in Houston when he gave us fits because he was capable of scoring the ball,” Bickerstaff said. “You just wondered if he could do that on a consistent basis.”
Brooks’ answer to Bickerstaff’s question has been good enough over the past 10 days.
The Grizzlies and Brooks agreed to a two-year contract. Memphis also signed forward Omari Johnson to a multi-year deal — the second of two Grizzlies transactions finalized Friday before their 94-93 loss to the Sacramento Kings in FedExForum.
Brooks, 29, gives the Grizzlies a versatile scorer whom they figure can be
reliable in a reserve role going into the 2018-19 season.
“You see what he’s done the past few years in China,” Bickerstaff said. “He has proven he can do it on a consistent basis. Now you wonder if it could be done on the NBA level and I think he’s proven that he can. He’s a natural scorer and always has been. He’s hungry for an opportunity and we gave him one. He is taking advantage of it and wants to be committed to the organization moving forward.”
Brooks finished with a team-high 23 points on 11-of-20 shooting to go with eight rebounds and three assists against the Kings. He entered the game averaging 23.3 points in three outings for Memphis after having last played in the league four years ago. The 2011 firstround draft pick (25th overall) began his NBA career with the New Jersey Nets as part of a draft-night trade.
When asked why Brooks couldn’t stay in the NBA, Bickerstaff said “often times it’s about the right fit.”
In Brooks, the Grizzlies believe they have a more mature player who can bolster their scoring in a league that is played with pace and space on the perimeter.
Brooks mostly scored off jump shots in his first three games. He created shots in the lane on drives toward the basket against the Kings.
Johnson figures to fit the profile of a big man who can space the floor with outside shooting.
The 6-foot-9 forward started 38 of his 44 appearances this season with the Grizzlies’ NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. He averaged 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 46 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range.
Johnson, 28, owned the G League’s highest three-point percentage among players with at least 300 attempts.
Memphis waived guard Marquis Teague to make room for Johnson.
J.B. Bickerstaff