The off-season is ending and as of September 5th, we are 42 days away from the start of the 2017-2018 season. The hot takes have been flowing, and we are going to address the biggest question concerning Memphis Grizzlies’ fans. Are they making the playoffs this year?
I’ll address the obvious. The Memphis Grizzlies have carried this same narrative over the past seven seasons, and somehow, they always manage to find themselves playing post-season basketball. While the result has virtually been the same every year, they still show dominance during the regular season and aren’t simply pushed over in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the lack of tools, building blocks and resources have seem to run out, and Memphis is relying on two players for success.
Adding Tyreke Evans and Ben McLemore certainly helps the offense, but is their impact going to carry enough weight to win games?
Against a stacked conference, they’ll need more than just a solid starting five to come away with enough wins to make the playoffs. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are going to be the offensive and defensive focal points, while McLemore and Evans look to find their roles as supporting pieces for a “contender” — arguably the first time in both of their careers. Evans did make the playoffs with the Pelicans a few years back, but he was riddled with injuries, and they were swept by the Warriors.
All this in mind, Evans is a talented, on-ball scorer, and McLemore has proven to be an outside threat from time to time. If all goes perfectly, the Grizzlies can use this rag-tag group of players to put together a Western Conference force — atleast for tipoff. This team severely lacks the talent for a solid rotation, and that’ll come back to haunt them.
Da bench, da bench, da bench is on fiya
Every year, Gasol and Conley put together strings of high-quality performances only to be let down by their supporting cast. Last year, you can blame the youth’s slower transition to the NBA, I’ll give you that one. But as far as having the talent to win enough games, this year might will be the deciding factor. After watching Vince Carter lead the Grizzlies into the playoffs two years ago, it’s hard to see why Memphis can’t make the playoffs every year. With that being said, the team wasn’t that good and managed to limp into the playoffs due to a very strong start to the regular season.
Now, we look at the bench and it might have new faces, but they’re still developing.
Wade Baldwin IV has shown little to no improvement. Deyonta Davis looks incapable of producing given minutes, and the lone bright spot is Andrew Harrison.
Wayne Selden showed off in Summer League. However, if there is one thing I have learned from watching the NBA: College success, G-League success, Summer League success, etc., doesn’t translate to NBA success.
Selden has seen plenty of minutes during important games but wasn’t included in important situations. Until he carries an impact for this team when it matters, it’s hard to consider him the future of this team when Andrew Harrison “delivered” in the playoffs.
Harrison and Selden are going to be the most productive of the younger Grizzlies. While development is fickle, both aren’t even close reaching their potential. They’ll need minutes and will need to make mistakes.
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Now or Never
Some fans might be in denial that both Conley and Gasol are past their athletic primes, but it’s the truth. They both might be in Memphis for the next few years, but their production won’t be what it has been in year’s past.
While Harrison and Selden need some time to develop, along with highly-touted rookie Dillon Brooks, the time for that has passed.
This is why team balance is good for chemistry and players alike. Fans will want results, and the Grizzlies are in the process of trying to rebuild while staying a “contender.” It won’t work well, and the team is only an injury away from completely falling apart.
Without the key veterans that helped mold this team, Memphis will need to take on a new persona. It’s hard to tell what that’ll be, but I’m going with a type of amoeba-team that’s so jumbled and chaotic that it works out. Granted, this team will be subject to embarrassing defeats and outlandish victories, but it’ll yield results and that is what matters.
Every Grizzly fan, spectator and NBA diehard are thinking the same thing when it comes to the Grizzlies. What is about to happen in Memphis? “Grit ‘n’ Grind” is dead, and money has been thrown at players like it’s the 1919 World Series. Will it work? Probably not. But this is good for the team’s future. It proves that their previous assumptions were wrong, and that they need to try something else.
While it might end the playoff streak and cut ties with the loyalty of GnG supporters, this is a good thing for Memphis. It’s like ripping off the metaphorical band aid. Put some Neosporin on it, let it get some air and keep moving forward. The Grizzlies aren’t finished just yet, but this season will be the tell-all. After making two role-players the highest paid players on the team, this season needs to happen to help give a more specific direction for where the team is and should be heading.
Next: Chandler Parsons alternatives
Adding Evans and McLemore is last ditch effort to save the players and atmosphere the Grizzlies front office paid A LOT of money to obtain. While the decisions were skeptical from the beginning, the window of opportunity for the Grizzlies is all about cemented shut. This team needed this type of change years ago, and now it’s going to be too little, too late. If Conley and Gasol can once again shoulder the entirety of the organization, then good for them!
It still won’t bring any hardware to Memphis.