Asking if the Memphis Grizzlies are an NBA Title contender may seem like a ridiculous question on the surface, there’s no doubt about that. But when you get past the fact that it’s a team with no championships and start looking at what these guys have accomplished this year, you realize that this may be a question worth asking.
That being said, I’m not trying to get too far ahead of myself here. The Grizzlies aren’t even in a playoff spot right now, much less competing for a spot in the NBA Finals.
But even though the Grizzlies have taken some bad losses, they have one of the highest ceilings of any team in the league. We’ve seen this in wins against the Nets, Suns, Clippers, and even in a 49-point win against the Rockets, giving them their largest margin of victory in their franchise’s history.
These games were fluke wins either, most of them were total domination. Take the recent split series against the Clippers for example. The Grizzlies handled Paul George and Kawhi Leonard‘s team through and through, winning the game by 28 points in the end.
The Memphis Grizzlies have dominated NBA Title-contending teams
But that’s not even the most jarring part about these wins. No, the part that gets me excited is that none of the Grizzlies star players did much of anything in those games. Ja Morant was extremely quiet, Jonas Valanciunas didn’t do much, and Jaren Jackson Jr. was still sidelined.
This team got a blowout win against a title contender on the back of a bunch of role players. When Morant is on his game and JJJ is back out on the court, there are certain days where nobody could stop this team.
That being said, the place that this team has struggled the most is finding consistency in their game. This is something that could potentially doom them if they were in a 7-game series against a strong team, or even in a play-in series. You don’t want this team to get into a dry spell at the wrong time.
And that’s why, right now, I don’t think this team can contend for a title. I do think they have the potential to beat any team in the league, but it has to be the perfect night for Taylor Jenkins’ team.
Having said that, there isn’t a team with more potential to become a title contender in the future than the Memphis Grizzlies. They have the second-youngest roster in the NBA and have proven that they can already compete with the big boys.
You have to be excited about the potential of the Grizzlies as a fan. This team probably won’t compete for a title this year, but it’s hard to rule it out. The Grizzlies will see more success in the future.