Memphis Grizzlies Gaining Ground on Lakers, Others to Convey Draft Pick

The Memphis Grizzlies were stuck in a rut, but now they are on the winning path to climb in the NBA season standings and achieve their goal of conveying their 2019 first-round pick.

On Friday night, the Memphis Grizzlies powered their way to an impressive 114-104 home victory over the Utah Jazz. This marked the first time in a month the team has notched consecutive victories, which is extremely valuable in boosting Memphis to achieving their ultimate goal.

Following the NBA All-Star break, Grizzlies General Manager Chris Wallace described the organization’s intentions through the final stretch of the 2018-19 season. Winning. Despite their poor overall record, Memphis wants to win in order to convey this year’s first-round NBA Draft pick.

With the Memphis Grizzlies stepping into rebuilding territory, this decision may not make sense to some, but it should given the fact that the pick will convey to the Boston Celtics at some point if not in 2019. It is inevitable, so the Front Office wants to get this item behind them as soon as possible.

Though the NBA Draft Lottery will be the key determinant in the fate of the Grizzlies’ first-rounder, additional wins will increase the odds of pick conveyance. As it currently stands, following Friday’s win, Memphis is the association’s sixth-worst club. They have owned this position for weeks, but things could soon change and become far more interesting standings, especially within the Western Conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies now have a 40.3% winning percentage and they are knocking on the door of surpassing several other NBA teams in the overall league standings. Immediately in front of them are both the 27-38 Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards.

Though the Wiz Kids are playing near-0.500 ball over their past 10 games in going 4-6, things are spiraling out of control for the Mavs. Their bright young star in Luka Doncic has been losing his luster and may very well see the Rookie of the Year award slip between his hands and land in Trae Young‘s possession. Dallas is 1-9 in their last 10 as they ride a four-game skid. Meanwhile, Memphis remains just 1.0 games behind Washington and Dallas.

Next in line lies the 30-38 New Orleans Pelicans, a squad that seemingly plays better now that they understand what the future beholds for superstar Anthony Davis. New Orleans is 2.5 games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies and are 5-5 over their last 10 matchups, though they have lost two straight.

With all the drama that has encompassed the Pelicans this season, it is somewhat surprising to not see them at the very bottom. Yet, with 14 contests remaining on their regular season schedule, there is plenty of time for them to tank and draw closer to rock bottom. This would make sense for them being as Davis will soon be donning a new NBA uniform.

The next three teams face a three-way tie with a 30-35 record and a 46.2% winning percentage. The energetic Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves knotted with the Los Angeles Lakers in addition to the East’s Charlotte Hornets. This is where the conversation really gets interesting.

In recent game history, the T-Wolves have been the best of the three, albeit via 0.500 ball with a 5-5 record over their last 10 games. Minnesota is attempting to build something special, and honestly they have done just that with a core of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and a slew of solid role players.

With a midseason change at the helm plus a dramatic start to their season, the Timberwolves continue to swing a salvage attempt for this chaotic season. They need one final big boost to make a run at a playoff berth, along with some luck.

In taking a look at the Charlotte Hornets, they have struggled coming out of the All-Star break. They are 3-7 over their past 10, but are most recently on the winning track following a defeat of the Washington Wizards in gritty fashion.

Being in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets should not be in the position they currently find themselves. Yet, it is all the more reason why Charlotte attempted to land Marc Gasol in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies prior to February’s NBA Trade Deadline. They need another impactful piece, which will probably be the difference in missing out on the postseason.

This leaves the disastrous situation known as the L.A. Lakers. It is hard to imagine a postseason without LeBron James — something that has not occurred since 2005. Yet, it is becoming more and more realistic.

The Lakers look like an absolute joke of a team right now and they are the leading dramatic situation in the NBA right now. Forget the Anthony Davis-to-LA conversations. The discussion is now surrounding James and the Lakers’ chemistry and cohesion. Their squad has now lost two of their last eight meetings, including four in a row.

This has transpired into talks of placing LeBron James on a minutes restriction and blurbs of Brandon Ingram wanting out of Los Angeles. Plus, the whispers of a change at Head Coach have returned. With all of the pressure reaching boiling point in L.A., it is difficult to picture the Lakers winning enough games to snag the eighth seed in the West. They are 6.5 games behind the eighth spot — the Los Angeles Clippers — with 17 games remaining. What hurts the most for them is seeing the Clips playing excellent basketball, winning four straight and seven of their last 10 contests.

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The Memphis Grizzlies are now within 4.0 games of the Los Angeles Lakers. If the Lake Show continues to implode and the Grizz Gang snags more wins, we could soon be discussing Memphis’ run to surpass L.A. in less than two weeks from now.

Put that into perspective. As bad as the Grizzlies’ record has been since the December timeframe, they still have a tremendous shot at posting a better season record than a LeBron James-led team. Memphis’ attempt at conveying their first-round Draft pick could seriously come down to the L.A. Lakers’ downfall.

Another club to watch for is none other than the Orlando Magic. They sit with a 46.3% winning percentage — a hair above the Timberwolves, Lakers, and Hornets. This is another surprise club of the 2018-19 season since they have been stuck in a rut themselves and do not have much clear direction moving forward. While they are 6-4 in their past 10 games, it is hard to bet on a youthful Orlando squad to bump a team such as their interstate foe — the Miami Heat — out of a playoff spot.

These are the main focus areas for the Memphis Grizzlies with one month of games remaining in their schedule. If they truly want to convey this year’s first-rounder, they must build upon the momentum generated over the past week. They now have two straight wins over current playoff teams.

Still, more work remains. Memphis must leapfrog a minimum of three NBA teams in order to fall into the nine-to-14 range (their pick comes with top-eight protection).

While a 27-40 record does not seem very exciting for the Memphis Grizzlies, the best truly is yet to come. The next few weeks will draw a lot of interest from around the league for a multitude of reasons. For the Grizz, it is all about conveyance.