The Memphis Grizzlies are the latest team to make a splash on the free agent market and they have one of the most coveted players in Ja Morant. With LeBron James joining LA, this Memphis squad could be legit contenders for years to come if they can figure out how to keep their elite pieces together as well as add even more talent around them.
The Memphis Grizzlies are a team that has been on the rise for some time now. Ja Morant and his teammates have the pieces to make a blockbuster deal and become legitimate championship contenders.
The Memphis Grizzlies have surrounded superstar point guard Ja Morant with a youthful, talented lineup. This has aided the Grizzlies’ ascension into the top half of a stacked Western Conference.
However, if the franchise intends to make a serious run at an NBA title in 2021-22, further changes must be made.
Memphis has the components in place to accomplish such changes.
Ja Morant is quietly assisting the Grizzlies in their quest to become one of the top teams in the NBA.
Memphis boasts the best record in the NBA, despite the fact that it has gone mostly unnoticed. The Grizzlies would host a playoff series if the regular season concluded on Jan. 9.
From December 26 to January 8, Ja has guided his club to eight straight victories, making him one of the top point guards in the league.
Morant is averaging 29.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on 53.3 percent shooting from the field and 53.8 percent from three-point range over that time.
Ja, on the other hand, isn’t a lone wolf (or bear, in this case). He has a strong supporting cast behind him.
And it’s that supporting cast that the club may be able to turn into another superstar to assist Morant go to his first NBA Finals.
The Memphis Grizzlies have all of the elements in place to pull off a major move.
During the fourth quarter of an NBA game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies grins. | Getty Images/Sean Gardner
Memphis has eight players that play over 20 minutes each game on average. Five players score in double digits on a regular basis.
Four of the players are under the age of 25 and are not named Ja. That doesn’t include backup point guard Tyus Jones (21.5 minutes per game, 8.3 points, 25), Brandon Clarke (17.5 minutes, 9.1 points, 25), and rookie Zaire Williams (18.1 minutes, 20 years old).
The Grizzlies have the ability to go 11 deep on any given night if they so desire.
This embarrassment of riches might lead to a blockbuster deal, consolidating Memphis’ roster and providing the former Murray State Racer with a true sidekick.
Forward Kyle Anderson is on an expiring contract with a $9.2 million salary this season. Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane, and De’Anthony Melton can all vacillate between the two or the three spots and are young, productive players. (Brooks was injured during the team’s game on Jan. 8 and will miss three to five weeks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski).
Williams was the 10th overall choice in last year’s draft and has already shown that he can play NBA minutes. In today’s league, a 6-foot-9 potential three-and-D guy is a very desirable trade piece.
Clarke is a lively, productive two-way player who is still on his rookie contract.
A deal including a mix of these players, as well as some future first-round selections, might land the Grizzlies one of the top players on the trade market, if not the best.
Memphis’ future might be right now.
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Of course, the group may keep doing what it’s doing. After all, it’s been good enough to climb the Western ranks.
Memphis has seen action from Bane, Brooks, Melton, Anderson, Williams, and Clarke this season. Perhaps the best course of action is to keep everyone together for the rest of the year and see what else is available in the summer.
However, teams are only given so many opportunities to win the NBA title. Morant, knock on wood, is healthy again, yet he attacks the hoop with a Derrick Rose-like recklessness. With that type of play, a 174-pound point guard is vulnerable to injury at any time.
The Memphis Grizzlies, on the other hand, have the components on their roster to go all-in right now in 2022 and take their shot.
NBA.com provided all data.
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The “grizzlies record” is a team that has been in the playoffs for the past two seasons, but they have yet to make it out of the first round. They made huge strides this season and are legitimate championship contenders.
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