The Memphis Grizzlies were never supposed to be in contention for a locked-in NBA Playoff spot this far into the season. At best, they were expected to be within reach of a spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament.
The absence of Jaren Jackson Jr. seemed like it was going to be really bad for a team that only has two true big men. And for a while, it was.
But somehow, someway, the Grizzlies have stayed afloat.
Actually, saying that they have stayed afloat would be a gross understatement. Memphis has been better than any fan, analyst, or coach would have predicted thus far in the 2021 season. They have overperformed in every aspect of the word.
The Memphis Grizzlies have overperformed thanks to improvements from top to bottom
But what exactly has helped the Grizzlies perform so well. I mean, from year to year, there weren’t really any major differences in the squad. In fact, with Justise Winslow also missing a lot of time this year, this team should have been significantly worse than last season.
But they weren’t.
It’s a weird thing, but when each individual player on a team sees a little bit of improvement, the squad as a whole tends to improve drastically. On a serious note, it’s easy to forget to take a step back and look at the simple reason that this team has played so well.
The slight improvements from each player on this team have led the Grizz to play great basketball. And with great basketball comes great numbers and statistics, almost as a reward for a team’s strong play throughout the year.
Here are 3 key numbers so far for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021.