Memphis Grizzlies: These 3 things will define a successful season

With the 2021-22 NBA season just around the corner, the Memphis Grizzlies are preparing to enter training camp to prepare for the first full, uninterrupted 82-game season since 2019.

While it’s every team’s goal to compete for an NBA championship each year, there are usually only a dozen or so teams that have serious expectations to be in contention.

The Memphis Grizzlies are not quite there yet. This Memphis squad is still a few key pieces away from having those high expectations; however, a major trade could quickly change those expectations.

Let’s operate under the assumption that the Grizzlies do not pull off a major trade before or during the season. We need to find some measurable and goals that the team should be looking to achieve in a season where the growth of the young players will be a top priority.

If the Memphis Grizzlies are to have a successful season, they should start with these three goals.

The Memphis Grizzlies need Jaren Jackson, Jr. to spend more time on the court in 2021-22

Jaren Jackson, Jr. is entering his fourth season in the NBA and has only played in 126 games in his NBA career. He’s currently eligible for a long-term contract extension, but he and the Grizzlies have not yet come to an agreement on those terms as of this writing.

Perhaps the Memphis Grizzlies would be better served waiting to resign Jackson, Jr. to a long-term deal until he can prove that he can stay healthy.

He’s a supremely gifted big man, but if he can’t stay on the court, he’s not helping the team.

In the 2019-20 season, Morant and Jackson, Jr. only played together in 51 games, averaging 20.3 minutes of total time on the court together in those games.

In 2020-21, Morant and Jackson played just 11 games together, averaging 17.2 minutes of total game time together.