The All-Star Break Comes At A Good Time For The Grizzlies

Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

The Grizzlies failed to beat the Mavericks on Wednesday, and as a result now sit 2 games outside of the #8 spot in the Western Conference playoff race. The Grizzlies have made  tremendous progress over the past couple of weeks, winning 7 of their last 10  games. But even with their recent success,  having a few days off when NBA All-Star Weekend comes around next week will do the team a tremendous amount of good.

The first reason why it will be good is because it will give the team some time to get healthy. Tony Allen is expected to return this weekend from his fractured hand injury, but Mike Conley, Jr. will certainly not be back from his ankle injury until after the All-Star break. During the break, both Conley and Allen will be able to fully heal up, and be prepared to be back in the lineup once the second half of the season begins.

The second reason why this time off will be beneficial is because the “second half” of the season is actually the final third of the season. The All-Star break sort of signifies the point at which regular season basketball suddenly becomes serious due to all the various playoff races that are going on. The Grizzlies will go into this final stretch of the season without much margin for error. Every game is going to be crucial, and so getting some time to mentally relax, regroup, focus, and get ready for some intense playoff level basketball should help the team out tremendously.

The final reason why this time off will help is because it will give new Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger a chance to assess his team. Not just because of the Courtney Lee addition, but also because of the fact that he’ll finally be getting his roster healthy. It is always challenging for a coach to adjust his lineup once guys get healthy. Joerger should fully benefit from these days off to figure out what direction he wants to take the team and what changes he wants to make to the lineup with a fully healthy roster.

I don’t want to make it sound like the All-Star break will fix all of the Grizzlies’ problems, but it certainly is going to help the team out tremendously. The Grizzlies are one of those teams where if they can sneak into the playoffs, they have a shot to make serious noise. I wouldn’t say that about very many teams, but the Grizzlies are one of those teams that can make a run to the Finals even as an 8 seed. They’re already knocking on the door as it is, and so I have to believe that getting these days to heal up, mentally prepare, and make any necessary adjustments to the lineup will do enough good to not only get the Grizzlies into the playoffs, but also prepare them for another deep playoff run.