The Memphis Grizzlies now have the youngest roster in the NBA

The Memphis Grizzlies recently waived Gorgui Dieng. He was 31-years old and rotting away on the bench. It wasn’t a good situation for either party, so the Grizzlies did what was right and bought out his contract.

Now, Dieng will be a free agent and likely look to sign a contract with a contender where he receives playing time.

Had he been traded, it may not have been an ideal situation for him, so this buyout is an optimal deal for Dieng, who hadn’t stepped onto the court in a Grizzlies uniform this month.

Gorgui Dieng’s buyout gives the Memphis Grizzlies the youngest team in the league

Throughout this season, I was constantly referring to the Memphis Grizzlies as “the second-youngest team in the NBA.” Thankfully, I don’t have to use that awkward phrasing anymore.

With Dieng off of the roster, the Grizzlies now have the youngest roster in the NBA with an average age of 23.7 years old. Looking forward, this is an extremely impressive number for a team that is competitive right now.

Here are some notable young players on the Memphis Grizzlies’ lineup:

Ja Morant: 21 years old

Jaren Jackson Jr.: 21 years old

Desmond Bane: 22 years old

De’Anthony Melton: 22 years old

If the Grizzlies are making playoff pushes right now, what will they be capable of in 5 years? The front office on Beale Street has done an incredible job building a young team. Now, it’s time to see if Taylor Jenkins can develop his players into NBA stars.

We’ll find out more about this young team when 21-year old Jaren Jackson Jr. returns from injury. For now, we’ll be watching a team that can hang with the big boys, even without their second-best player in the lineup.

We’ve seen this in extremely close losses against the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and most recently, the Utah Jazz.

That said, the Grizzlies have yet to pass through a particular threshold that would guide them to wins. Is Jaren Jackson the piece that will finally push this team to the next level?

We’ll have to wait and find out. Let’s just hope that this Grizzlies team has enough motivation to reach the NBA Playoffs without JJJJ in the lineup until late April.