3 key takeaways from Memphis Grizzlies Media Day

On Monday, the Memphis Grizzlies took part in their annual Media Day, and a large portion of the team’s key members were found in attendance representing the navy blue and gold.

2023-24 is viewed as a pivotal year for Taylor Jenkins’ squad, for they come riding into the season fresh off two consecutive second-seeded finishes with nothing to show for it other than one single postseason series win.

Throughout the summer, analysts have been on record talking up these Grizzlies, with some going as far as to predict that they could find themselves legitimately vying for a title come season’s end.

This year’s Media Day saw Memphis singing a similar tune, though discussed throughout were many topics and talking points regarding what it will likely take for them to be thrust into the contention conversation.

Key takeaways from 2023 Media Day for the Memphis Grizzlies

During the festivities, there were many noteworthy quotes and discussions that came about. Here are a few, in particular, that fans should be well aware of.

3. Derrick Rose is looking to contribute on the court

A few weeks back, The Athletic’s Kelly Iko predicted that newly signed veteran guard Derrick Rose “might find himself playing more” during his upcoming debut season with the Grizzlies than some might expect.

Though the overwhelming consensus view of his addition to the team was that he’d serve primarily as a mentor for many of the young talents in tow, namely troubled superstar Ja Morant, the former MVP himself acknowledged that while he’s looking forward to playing the role of mentor, he also indicated that this isn’t his only desire and he suggested he’s not looking to collect dust on the sidelines due to inactivity.

"“I’m not here to babysit, micromanage, or anything like that,” Rose said. “I’m not here to be a plant in the locker room or any of that. I’m here to help guys win. I’m not here to steal minutes, I’m not here to steal nobody’s job. I’m here to win, I’m here to show that I still have a lot left in the tank.”"

2022-23 was a challenging season for Rose, as he was pulled from the New York Knicks rotation without much public reasoning with just 27 games under his belt.

However, despite this, during the four years leading up to his removal, the former All-Star found himself relishing in his new-found role of playing off the pine, as he posted impressive averages of 16.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from deep.

On top of this, just three years ago Rose found himself finishing third in the running for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

Now coming into his first NBA season out in Memphis, it appears the veteran is hoping to show he can still provide similar types of contributions.

2. Steven Adams ‘can’t guarantee’ that he’s fully recovered from PCL sprain

Last year, starting pivot Steven Adams went down with a PCL sprain in late January and, unfortunately, missed their remaining 35 regular season games and the entirety of their playoff run as a result.

Now, as we approach the start of the 2023-24 campaign, the hope has been that the veteran will be back to full strength and, in turn, be ready to man the middle once again for this title-hungry Grizzlies club right from the jump what with the fact that he’s had nearly nine months to recover.

However, over the last few weeks rumblings have begun to surface indicating that while Adams is heading in the right direction, he may not yet be back to 100 percent. During Media Day, the big man himself couldn’t even commit to stating whether he’s back to a full-go, as he played it safe when asked during a Q&A with Grind City Media how his knee was feeling.

"“I think it’s at a good spot now because I’ve been rehabbing all summer so I think we’re in a pretty good position. I can’t guarantee anything but this next week in particular is training camp [and] it will be good info,” Adams said."

The difference with and without Adams in Memphis’ lineup last year was absolutely jarring.

As noted on many occasions in the past, during his 46 games before being shelved, the team ranked third in win percentage (.674), first in offensive rebounding (13.4), first in total rebounding (49.4), first in defensive rating (109.2), and second in net rating (5.4).

Following Adams’ injury-induced removal, the Grizzlies tanked in each of these aforementioned categories, ranking 13 (.556), 13 (10.3), 15 (43.1), ninth (112.6), and 13 (2.2), respectively.

If he’s not yet back to full strength heading into training camp, hopefully, he will be come October 25th’s season opener.

1. Ja Morant will be available for Grizzlies

As a result of his upcoming 25-game suspension to start the new season, the league decided it would be best if Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant was not in attendance for the club’s 2023 Media Day.

This naturally sparked a plethora of questions regarding what his availability with the team would be during the first third of the coming campaign, which was already a major topic of discussion amongst fans and even team personnel leading into the event.

Fortunately, said questions wound up being answered during the day, as it was revealed by GM Zach Kleiman that Morant would be permitted to participate in practice and even travel with the team prior to his return to in-game action.

The executive’s reaction to the news was outwardly filled with excitement and sheer happiness.

"“I think it’s great for Ja, and I think it’s great for the group that he can be with us day-to-day,” Kleiman said. “The NBA basically has said that as long as Ja continues to stay on track, he’s going to be clear to participate in all private team activities, so practices, shootarounds, traveling with the team.”"

Kleiman would also reveal that on top of his regular-season suspension, Morant would not be available to participate in any preseason exhibitions either.

While his on-court absence will certainly be missed during these early stages of the year, at least he’ll still be able to hone his craft and build upon chemistry with his teammates behind closed doors.

Mid-December can’t come soon enough!

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