As the NBA trade deadline inches closer and the rumor mill heats up, the Memphis Grizzlies find themselves at a crossroads. They are having an impressive season with many of their players in and out of the lineup and not having played a game with a fully healthy roster up to this point of the season.
They have a 2.5-game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the third seed in the Western Conference but missed an opportunity to close in on the two-seeded Houston Rockets. The Grizzlies suffered their most embarrassing and largest defeat of the season at the New York Knicks 143-106 on January 27th.
In the same region, the Houston Rockets defeated the Boston Celtics on the road on a last-second shot from Amen Thompson to extend their lead over the Grizzlies to one game for the two-seed, with their final matchup coming on January 30th in Memphis.
The Grizzlies' loss in New York showcased their deficiencies to the max as they committed a season-high 26 turnovers, which dropped them to last in the league with 16.7 turnovers per game. The Knicks' physicality seemed to overwhelm the Grizzlies as has been the case in their other matchups against the NBA's best teams.
The Grizzlies still await the return of Marcus Smart and Vince Williams Jr. for full health to access their needs, but if they want to ensure they are a surefire title contender, they will have to address their current needs.
1. Veteran 3-and-D wing
The Grizzlies have 3-and-D wings, but they don't possess any playoff experience. Also, GG Jackson just played his fifth game of the season and Vince Williams Jr. remains out and has only played in three games this season.
Marcus Smart is the veteran of the group but has only been available for 18 games this season. Jaylen Wells has held down the fort in the starting lineup but he's a rookie on a team with high expectations.
The Grizzlies' attempt at trading for Dorian Finney-Smith last month, combined with their name being mentioned in targets for Jimmy Butler and Cam Johnson, makes it known they know what they need.
2. Additional Big Man
Their need for another big rank below their need for a wing, but is growing by the game. Like Jaylen Wells, their starting center, Zach Edey, is a rookie and is an unknown when it comes to playoff basketball. Brandon Clarke is a formidable backup but is limited by his size (6'8", 215 lbs.) and inability to score outside of the paint area.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is their best big but can fall victim to foul trouble at times, especially when having to move down to play center. Their other two bigs are finesse bigs that struggle against other physical teams in Santi Aldama and Jay Huff. Zach Edey being ready for the moment is what the Grizzlies are banking on now, and it is a risk they may ultimately take.
3. Backup Point Guard
The reality of this position is that Ja Morant will play on the high side of 30 minutes in the playoffs (38.3 average in 19 playoff games) so this need is much less of a need than the others. Scotty Pippen Jr. has been up and down as the backup and lacks playoff experience as well for the other 10 minutes the team will need in that position come playoff time.
Recently, Desmond Bane has started at point guard with Ja Morant out, and in those two games, he dished out 14 assists in each game and committed only five total turnovers. Also, assuming Marcus Smart is still on the team and healthy, they have another option who was the starting point guard for an NBA Finals contender with the Boston Celtics.