Why an implosion from the Lakers is a great thing for the Memphis Grizzlies

The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a rough start to the 2021-22 NBA season, which is a very good thing if you are a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Who on Earth could have seen this coming— a team with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, and Rajon Rondo is having issues with chemistry and sharing the ball? Yes, that’s sarcasm.

This is a Los Angeles team with many aging superstars that are attempting to squeeze out their last drops of basketball excellence that have been bestowed upon them. You know, the exact opposite of the Memphis Grizzlies (young, great chemistry, selfless play, etc.).

Why are the Memphis Grizzlies rooting extra hard for the demise of the Lakers?

In short, the Grizzlies are rooting for the Lakers to finish the season with an abysmal regular season record because they own the rights to their first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft (so long as it does not fall anywhere from the first pick to the tenth pick).

So far, the Memphis Grizzlies are smiling at the fact things are off to a very rocky start in La La land.

In case you’re not up to speed, a quick recap. The Lakers dropped their season opener to a Golden State Warriors, a team that is a shell of what it once was.

Steph Curry, an aging Draymond Green, and spare parts were able to take down LeBron James and co. on opening night of the new NBA season.

Then, in their second game of the season against the Phoenix Suns, the Lakers lost by 10 points to the 2020-21 Western Conference champions.

During that game, television cameras caught an altercation between Davis and Howard in which some pushing and shoving was going on between the teammates. Trouble in paradise?

Both of these losses were home games for the Lakers with a third consecutive coming against the Grizzlies Oct. 24.

We still have 80 games that need to be played and if history tells us anything, we shouldn’t count out any team that has LeBron James as one of its leaders.

However, under the bright lights of Los Angeles and with so many big egos and an aging roster, it’s not crazy to imagine the Lakers taking a long time to get things figured out.

With each Los Angeles loss, their 2022 NBA draft pick becomes more and more valuable, creating infinite flexibility for the Grizzlies.