Two years ago, the Memphis Grizzlies appeared to be one of the top up and coming teams in the NBA. They had put together their second straight season of over 50 wins, and their young core was tantalizing.
However, last season, injuries ravaged the Grizzlies, who went just 27-55.
Now, with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder on the rise and the Dallas Mavericks featuring a lethal backcourt tandem of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Memphis has been largely forgotten.
But don’t tell that to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Bontemps still has high hopes for the Grizzlies heading into next season and thinks that the trio of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. is mighty impressive.
“I’m buying Memphis,” Bontemps said on The Hoop Collective. “Obviously, we’ll see if Ja Morant can keep himself on the court. But if he can, I expect him to have a big year. He, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are awfully, awfully good together. We haven’t seen them together in a minute, but when they are together, they’re as good as a trio as there is in the league.”
The Grizzlies’ success largely hinges on Ja Morant
Morant was one of the most exciting players in the league a couple of years ago, but injuries and a string of off-the-court incidents have moved him out of the spotlight.
When healthy, though, there is no doubting that Morant is one of the best players in the NBA.
Morant broke out during the 2021-22 campaign, averaging 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals over 33.1 minutes per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the floor. He made his first All-Star appearance as a result.
The following year, Morant impressed again, registering 26.2 points, 8.1 assists and 5.9 boards a night, connecting on 46.6 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Efficiency has been an issue for Morant, as he owns a lifetime true-shooting percentage of just 55.8 percent, but like Russell Westbrook before him, his explosiveness compensates for it.
Perhaps the biggest issue with Morant is his inability to stay on the floor.
The 25-year-old has never played 70 games in a single season before, and while his 25-game suspension kept him sidelined early on last year, he ended up bowing out due to a shoulder injury after returning for just nine contests.
If Morant can stay healthy and cast members like Bane and Jackson can continue to improve, the Memphis Grizzlies may end up re-establishing themselves as contenders in the rugged Western Conference.
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