The Memphis Grizzlies heavily over-performed this year. And there’s plenty of blame to go around as the NBA Awards draw near.
The 2019-20 NBA season was a whirlwind for the Memphis Grizzlies, who fast-forwarded through the rebuild process and put themselves in the thick of the NBA playoff race.
Roughly nine months after announcing they were pulling the plug on the Gasol/Conley era, Memphis had established themselves as a team on the rise. A complex series of minor trades had yielded plenty of assets while clearing their cap. This after scoring the mother lode in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The Grizzlies, seemingly overnight, became one of the NBA’s best stories and most-hyped teams. They were League Pass must-watches, in stark contrast to Grit N Grind’s (brilliant) methodical plodding.
After such a wild thrashing of preseason expectations, it’s standard that Memphis would field a contender or two for the NBA’s season-end awards. Their organization could tally multiple finalists, with a runaway winner in one category, and potential for votes in others.
As ballots are currently being tallied, we’re breaking down the Memphis Grizzlies’ potential impact for several awards: