What started off as the Memphis Grizzlies’ perfect 2018-19 season has hit more than a few bumps over the past month. Here is how the roster can help steer the season back on course.
A week from now, the Memphis Grizzlies will have played 41 games, putting them at the midway point of what has been a very mercurial season thus far. The Grizzlies have oscillated wildly; occasionally setting the bar very high with their play, while frustratingly failing just as often.
Their recent nose-dive down the West standings has many shaking their heads, but there is still plenty of time to salvage this season. The Grizzlies are finally healthy and just inches outside in a packed playoff race. They have also faced the league’s fifth-toughest schedule so far, and will have a clearer path to second-half wins.
As this mostly-overturned roster hopefully builds some continuity, there is plenty of room for improvement from top to bottom. Their midseason status is the sum of everything from injuries to inconsistency, and there is reason to expect more.
Memphis faces an extremely important stretch over the next few months. Not only will this be the ultimate litmus test for the Mike Conley and Marc Gasol era, but determine how good of a draft pick Memphis likely forks over to Boston. A narrow playoff miss could be doubly-damaging.
With so much at stake, and such a narrow margins for error in the West, Memphis will take improvements from anywhere they can. Here is a breakdown of the team’s main units, and what each player can do to ensure second-half success.