The Grizzlies have already lost two centers to season-ending injuries this season, but they already have a player ready to replace them and he’s sitting on their bench. Kenneth Lofton Jr. deserves more opportunity because he is a unique player who shines in what opportunity he’s given and does so while playing solid according to the advanced numbers. Thanks to AG_Atto0 for inspiring me to write this article on Lofton.
Kenneth Lofton plays like few players in the NBA. He’s essentially that really large player on certain AAU teams who outmuscles everyone on the court and gets whatever he wants, despite minimal athleticism. Watching Lofton’s highlights, the relatively smaller players of the modern NBA can’t stop him from getting rebounds and muscling his way into the paint for a layup, during which his big body takes up so much space that it’s difficult to guard. Even if he is stopped outside of the paint, which is rare, Lofton has a passable midrange game worthy of respect, and he can even hit the occasional fadeaway.
When given an opportunity, Kenneth Lofton shows that he is worthy of getting a chance to shine in this thin Grizzlies’ center rotation. Lofton has played fifteen minutes or more three times in his career, and in these games he averages 20.0 PPG, and 8.0 RPG with a positive assists to turnover ratio. On 9th April 2023, Lofton played his only career game with over 25 minutes, getting a statline of 42 points and 14 rebounds on 68% shooting from the field in 40 minutes. Some may worry that this game was in a loss against the OKC Thunder when both teams were resting several starters, and OKC did not even have a healthy Chet Holmgren. However, the Thunder were starting three big men that night: 7’0 Olivier Sarr, 6’10 Ousmane Dieng, and 6’9 Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Each of these big guys played about 40 minutes that night and they simply couldn’t stop Kenny Lofton. The slimmer builds of modern NBA big men are simply a mismatch for Lofton, as he proved that night.
If you still don’t consider Lofton to be a good NBA player, we can use advanced statistics to show that he is at least a solid player. In his career, Kenneth Lofton Jr. has per-36 averages of 24.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. He has a career PER of 16.9 which is above league average. He has a career Winshares per 48 of 0.104, very slightly above league average. These stats show that it is worth giving Lofton a chance on this Grizzlies squad, to see whether they might hold up on a larger scale in more minutes.
Overall, Lofton’s combination of unique playstyle and simple and advanced statistics show a player who should have an opportunity to get minutes in the NBA. Whether he gets his big break in Memphis or elsewhere via trade, Lofton deserves a chance that the Grizzlies haven’t really given him.