The Memphis Grizzlies are no longer a team that is projected to miss the playoffs on a year-to-year basis. With Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. leading the charge, this squad should be making an appearance each and every year.
That being said, they’re playing in a brutal Western Conference. A .500 record that would get them into the Eastern Conference playoffs won’t lead to the same ending for the Grizzlies.
The playoff format is not going to be the same as it has been historically. Similar to last season, this year’s playoffs will contain a play-in tournament. If the Grizzlies are able to maintain a 10th place position in the conference, they’ll have a good chance of making the playoffs.
The play-in tournament structure benefits the Memphis Grizzlies
For a team that is desperately trying to stay afloat without Jaren Jackson Jr., this structure works out very well.
The team has been playing .500 basketball without him, so upon his return, they may have an advantage during a play-in tournament, assuming they maintain a 10 seed or higher.
The logic here is that they’ll be playing teams that were fully intact and earned a 7-10 seed while the Grizzlies earned it without their second-best player. This could make the tournament a breeze for a team that was competitive while missing key talent.
That being said, it won’t necessarily be a walk in the park. We still don’t know when Jaren Jackson Jr. will return and he may not have time to settle in before the playoffs.
But in order to have that conversation, we have to look at the Grizzlies’ playoff odds.