Memphis Grizzlies: Into the Uncertain Future

The new season is a new beginning for the teams of the NBA. What questions will the Memphis Grizzlies need to answer as they move into the future?

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord.

And I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord.

In life, there are many times where we wish we can just start over. Things often don’t go our way, and we end up feeling helpless because there’s nothing we can do. Most of the time, we simply don’t get second chances.

A new season provides the clean slates we so desperately crave to all of the teams in the NBA. The heartbreaks and struggles of last year are no more. No team has lost a game yet. Every single player is in “the best physical shape” of their lives. Everyone still has a chance at making the playoffs (except the Indiana Pacers). Optimism is extremely high, even though every team has major questions that they need to answer.

With new faces everywhere, the Memphis Grizzlies certainly have many questions to answer.

There’s the question of leadership. Will Mike Conley continue his unleashed excellence from last season? Though he’ll never truly lose the “underrated” tag, Mike earned his place in the limelight last season (Kanye knows it too). Then comes the Marc Gasol question. Can he truly step up and be the leader that Memphis desperately needs him to be?

Then there’s the question with players who have something to prove. Can Chandler Parsons still become the player that he was supposed to be when the Grizzlies signed him two summers ago? Can Tyreke Evans and Mario Chalmers show that they can remain healthy and still be the dynamic playmakers that they were earlier in their careers? Will JaMychal Green live up to and outplay his newly signed contract?

Finally, there’s the question mark that is the young players on the team. Will Wade Baldwin finally start to reveal flashes of why the Grizzlies selected him with the 17th pick in the 2016 draft? Can Ben McLemore or Wayne Selden become the team’s shooting guard of the future? Could Dillon Brooks or Ivan Rabb become legitimate contributors at some point during the season? Will Andrew Harrison still be the backup point guard when the season starts?

Times of Uncertainty

These are uncertain times if you’re a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies. With the drastic increase of talent in the West, it’s a real possibility that Memphis won’t make the playoffs next season. The whole team has the feel of a well-built house of cards–it has the potential to be amazing but could quickly turn into a disaster.