JAVON Small

Small appeared in 41 games last season for Memphis, averaging 20.2 minutes, 9.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks. He shot 46.5 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from three and 82.9 percent from the free-throw line, good for a true shooting mark of 61.1 percent. His usage rate sat at 18.3 percent and his plus-minus was -2.6. The turnover number stands out: just 1.4 per game, modest for a guard asked to create offense in a bench role. Those shooting numbers, especially the three-point mark, are why Memphis has kept running him out there this season.

Small is not on the injury report. He has no injury history on file. That clean sheet lines up with his appearance in all four of Memphis' games to open the season, and it gives the coaching staff a reliable body to turn to in the backcourt rotation without having to manage a recovery plan or minutes restriction.

Small is a 23-year-old guard out of West Virginia, listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds, wearing number 10 for Memphis. He is entering his second NBA season, all of it with the Grizzlies. The profile is a smaller combo guard who protects the ball, shoots it well from three and the free-throw line, and defends at a level that produces a respectable steal rate. That skill set fits a bench role behind Memphis' main backcourt pieces, giving the second unit shooting and ball security rather than high-volume scoring.

Four games into 2026-27, Small has been part of a 3-1 start for Memphis, with his minutes fluctuating as the staff figures out the rotation. Last season's full-year numbers, 9.7 points and 3.7 assists on efficient shooting across 41 games, give a sense of what he can provide over a longer stretch if his role grows. With no injury concerns and no trade chatter tied to his name, the expectation is more of the same: a reserve guard who shoots it well and doesn't turn it over, with his minutes tracking how Memphis needs him game to game.