The Kevin Durant saga captivated the entire NBA, including the Memphis Grizzlies, who were reportedly one of several teams that were interested in swinging a deal for the beleaguered superstar.
Now that we have some finality on that front (spoiler alert: he’s staying in Brooklyn along with Head Coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks), the rest of the NBA waters can start flowing again.
The Durant saga forced a weeks-long logjam that behooved most GMs to wait and see how things unfolded before engaging in any other transactions.
Now that we know there are unlikely to be any other seismic shifts in the NBA landscape before training camp begins, we can start to look at how teams are stacking up next season.
Memphis Grizzlies near top of power rankings ahead of new NBA season
Perhaps somewhat surprising, ESPN has pegged the Memphis Grizzlies as a top-five team in the NBA entering the 2022-23 season.
A panel of experts and writers placed the Grizzlies at No. 4, trailing only Golden State, Boston, and Milwaukee— who were numbers one, two, and three respectively.
It’s somewhat surprising to see considering there are so many question marks surrounding the team entering the new season.
Count ESPN’s Tim Bontemps as a big believer in the Grizzlies despite these question marks.
"Memphis’ biggest move of the offseason was landing a full five-year max deal for superstar guard Ja Morant. Signing his backup, Tyus Jones, on a new deal was no small feat, either. The impact of losing Kyle Anderson, a key part of their frontcourt rotation, will be one to monitor next season. — Bontemps"
The Grizzlies lost Kyle Anderson to free agency, traded De’Anthony Melton, won’t have Jaren Jackson Jr. until (likely) Christmas, and they may be counting on a handful of unproven and untested rookies to help fill in the gaps.
I would peg the team somewhere closer to the No. 10 spot. The world-wide leader has Denver at No. 9, Philadelphia at No. 10, and Brooklyn at No. 11.
Perhaps everything will work out and the team will hit the ground running in 2022-23.