The Memphis Grizzlies had an extremely successful 2020-21 season. Considering the fact that they were playing without their second star in Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis did well for themselves.
A playoff appearance, and a competitive one at that, was all that these fans could have asked for with a team that was the youngest in the league for a long period of time. In fact, the Grizzlies would have finished as the youngest team in the league if not for the late-season signing of Tim Frazier, who functioned as a captain on the bench.
Throughout the season, the Grizzlies developed a loose identity without Jackson Jr. With the pace of Ja Morant and the size and power of Jonas Valanciunas, the Grizzlies led the league in three categories.
The Memphis Grizzlies led the league in fast-break points for obvious reasons
The first of the categories was fast-break points, a statistic that can be directly attributed to the speed of Ja Morant and the pass-forward offensive scheme of Taylor Jenkins. That very same pace and passing allowed for the Grizzlies to finish in the top-5 in assists per game this past season with 26.9 per outing.
The beauty of Grizzlies basketball in 2020-21 is the team’s ability for any player to score from any part of the floor. Memphis may not have any volume sharpshooters, but nearly every player on the roster can go up and catch an alley-oop pass in transition.
Aside from Morant and Winslow, nearly every player on this team can kick out to the corner and drain an easy three.