Few teams struggled more last season than the Memphis Grizzlies they dealt with a series of catastrophic injuries and setbacks.
Memphis seems to be getting healthy as we get closer to training camp. Mike Conley and Chandler Parsons both seem like they will be ready to go.
Memphis had a quietly effective offseason that saw them land San Antonio Spurs small forward Kyle Anderson, Warriors wing Omri Casspi, and draft Jaren Jackson Jr. The 6’11” big man looked especially good in Summer League, where he averaged 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in five games.
The Grizzlies still are not a playoff team in the competitive West, but they have enough talent (and dare we say, grit and grind) to win 33 games and finish just outside of the playoff bubble says the people at Odd Shark.
This seems to be the consensus of most major sports outlets outside of Memphis. Very few think the Grizzlies have much of a chance out west.
The fans in Memphis are more confident though, as they should be. The Grizzlies have had a nice offseason, some fans are unrealistic, but Grizzlies fans should be confident that they will win more than 34.5 games.
Will the Grizzlies Beat the Over/Under?
There are a lot of variables that will go into this. The main one though has got to be the health of this team.
So many guys over the past couple years have dealt with injuries. Chandler Parsons is entering year three with the Grizzlies and still has never really been healthy. It’s unlikely that we will ever get the Parsons of old.
While Mike Conley missed 70 games last season and it’s not for certain that he will be the same player. His game has never been based off his athleticism so he could be almost the same player he was before. It’s unfair to expect that out of him but if he is playing near an All-Star level, I would be shocked if the Grizzlies do not win at least 35 games.
Another concern is the lack of scoring this team has. Will they have a consistent third option to rely on? You can trust Conley and Marc Gasol to get buckets but after that, it is very uncertain.
They need guys like Dillon Brooks and Parsons to be reliable scorers they can trust. Even if it is just 9/10 points a game, it would be huge for this team.
Predictions
The Memphis Grizzlies improved their team this offseason. There is no doubt about that. The additions of Kyle Anderson and Jaren Jackson are going to be huge for the future of this team. Those two guys should both have positive impacts on next year’s team as well.
If this team stays healthy then they very possibly could sneak there way into the postseason. Even with the Western Conference being as tough as it is, the Grizzlies have a shot.
It is unrealistic to expect this team to stay fully healthy, which is why I cannot predict a playoff spot for this team. They will do enough to beat the over/under, but not by much. The Memphis Grizzlies go 37-45 to finish 11th in the NBA’s Western Conference.