The Grizzlies are just one day away from starting their playoff journey, and they will face the Los Angeles Lakers after their thrilling overtime defeat of the Timberwolves. They will be without several of the key players that they started the season with, including Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. Will their absence lead to a larger rotation in the playoffs? Or will it give Head Coach Taylor Jenkins a reason to shorten things up even more?
That is a hard question to answer. When looking at where their roster currently stands, there are a few obvious guaranteed spots outside of their starters. Tyus Jones is one of the better bench guards in the league. Santi Aldama has been up and down in his sophomore season, but he is a threat to hit multiple three-pointers on any given night. Deadline addition Luke Kennard is by far the team’s most dangerous sniper from beyond the arc.
Outside of them, however, you could argue for multiple players that should get those last one or two spots. Who should be on the outside looking in?
3 Grizzlies players who could get axed from Playoff rotation:
This list will ignore players who have not played at least 30 games with Memphis this year, or whose role was never solidified during the season. Kenneth Lofton Jr, for example.
3. Jake Laravia
Jake Laravia is the easiest name to take out of the playoff rotation. Not only has he only played 35 with the Grizzlies this season, but he is also currently nursing a calf injury. Even if he was healthy, there is a reason the 19th overall pick from the 2022 draft didn’t play much during his rookie season.
He was ineffective in the just under 12 minutes a game he played during the regular season, averaging a paltry three points and less than two boards a game. He also shot under 40% as a 6-8, 235lb forward. Not exactly what you want to see.
You can argue that the sample size was too small to judge him appropriately, but that is honestly just another reason he shouldn’t see minutes in the playoffs.