1 Under The Radar Player For Every NBA Team- Western Conference, Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks- Quentin Grimes:

Coming off an unexpected run to the finals, the Mavericks made multiple additions this off-season. They acquired Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade with the Warriors and signed Naji Marshall to a multi-year deal. Those were the two moves that got discussed the most, but the acquisition of Quentin Grimes in the Tim Hardaway Jr. salary dump was a nice under-the-radar move by Dallas.

Just two seasons ago, Grimes was viewed as an untouchable by the Knicks as he was an emerging 3-and-D wing with upside. Just a year later he was traded to the Pistons in a deal for Bojan Bogdanovic and eventually traded to Dallas this off-season. In 2022-2023 he averaged 11 points a game and shot 39% from three while guarding the opposing team's best wing player. It was clear why the Knicks liked him so much, but last season, things began to go downhill for Grimes.

Last off-season New York brought in Donte DiVincenzo to be the backup shooting guard, but he would soon take over as the starter. Grimes was unhappy with his role as he felt he would get pulled from the game if he missed a shot and he became uncertain as a player. After suffering an injury that sidelined him for multiple weeks, the Knicks traded him to Detroit where he would miss all but six games with an injury.

Now he has a fresh start with the Mavs and doesn't have to worry about whether or not he makes or misses the shot. Grimes will come off the bench as a wing defender and a floor spacer for Dallas and he could have a real impact if he regains his 2022-2023 form. It's not often that teams can salary dump a player and bring back an important piece in the deal but Dallas did with Grimes.

Houston Rockets- Tari Eason:

After a promising rookie season in 2022, Tari Eason was looking to take a step forward in 2023 but he played just 22 games due to a season-ending injury. With him missing so much time people seem to forget about him when discussing the Rockets' young core. Houston has a plethora of young talent with the likes of Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, and Cam Whitmore, along with Eason.

Due to how deep the roster is, it may be hard to find a lot of minutes for Eason, but the Rockets need to find as many minutes as they can. He is a good defender who brings energy on both ends of the floor.

In his rookie season, he averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds a game in just 21 minutes a night along with 1 steal a game. He flashed his defensive potential as well as his ability to make an impact with his rebounding. Eason only started five games during his rookie season but in those games, he averaged 13.6 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals. He brought a level of physicality and intensity every time he stepped on the court and showed real upside.

With the aforementioned deep young core, the Rockets have it is unclear how many minutes Eason will play every night. It may just be 20 minutes or so a game, but he will make an impact when he is on the floor. Houston is a team that competes on defense and prides itself on defense and with that being the case, Eason could close out certain games for the Rockets.

Memphis Grizzlies- Vince Williams Jr.:

While last season was a complete disaster for the Grizzlies, the development of Vince Williams Jr. was one of the few bright spots. Memphis lost Dillon Brooks to the Rockets last year and was looking for a replacement. Williams proved to not only be as good of a defender as Brooks, but he showed he has a well-rounded offensive game that allows him to play anywhere on the court.

In 52 games last year, he averaged 10 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1 steal a game while shooting 38 percent from three. Those are good numbers, but his numbers as a starter were even better. As a starter, he averaged 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists a night. Williams was a Swiss army knife on offense last year as he did a little bit of everything.

Williams will miss the start of the season with an injury, but when he returns, he could slide right in as the Grizzlies starting small forward. He will have the ball in his hands less with the return of Ja Morant, but he will serve as a secondary ball handler and playmaker. People seem to have forgotten that the Grizzlies were the two-seed in the west just two years ago, but due to injuries last year, they missed the playoffs. Now with Ja Morant back they will be ready to make some noise again and Williams will be a part of that once he returns from injury.

Don't be shocked when Williams is guarding top-tier players late in the season as the Grizzlies try to make a playoff run.

New Orleans Pelicans- Yves Missi:

The Pelicans have a very deep roster when it comes to the guard and wing position. While they are deep in those positions, they don't have a true starting center but Yves Missi could change that. Missi is a rim-running, athletic center who was taken in the first round out of Baylor this off-season by the Pelicans. On the offensive side of the ball, Missi is very raw as he mainly relies on athleticism to score. On defense, he is a shot blocker who can switch onto smaller defenders and hold his own due to his athleticism.

The Pelicans starting lineup entering the season is Dejounte Murray, C.J. McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Herb Jones. That lineup has a lot of offensive firepower, but they lack size with Jones starting at center. As the season goes on the Pelicans may want to make a change and size up and Missi would be the obvious choice to enter the lineup.

He profiles as a Clint Capela type on offense as he is a lob threat and rim roller, and the Pelicans haven't had either of these things at center in a while. Larry Nance Jr. provided both of those but he was a small ball five who spaced the floor as well. Missi is a pure rim-runner who plays above the rim on offense. Don't be surprised if the Pelicans make a change in the starting lineup at some point and it involves the rookie center entering the starting unit.

San Antonio Spurs- Keldon Johnson:

People know that Keldon Johnson is a good player, but he doesn't garner much attention, as the Spurs are a below-average team and Victor Wembanyama is the team's new exciting star. On top of all of that, he was moved to the bench last year to run the unit. With the lack of attention, Johnson may have become underrated by NBA fans but he shouldn't be. Keldon is a former 20-point-per-game scorer, who can score at all three levels while providing solid defense on the other end of the court.

Last season, his scoring average dipped from 22 points a game in 2022-2023 to 16 points a game in his first season off the bench. Despite the move to the bench, he would close games for the Spurs and at times be their go-to scorer late in games. He is one of the better shot-creators on the roster and he will be relied on to create offense. The Spurs roster is very young and lacks true shot creators, but Johnson is one of the few on the team, and it should be obvious this year.

San Antonio will be a popular team this year due to Wembanyama entering his second season, and that will lead to more eyes on Johnson. He should be a leader in the sixth man of the year race this season and one of the top scorers for the Spurs. Johnson likely won't be a 20-point-per-game player this year, but his scoring impact should be noticed on a team that is desperate for offense.

MORE FROM STADIUM RANT: NBA News

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!