The Grizzlies are ready to take the floor again after a four-day break to take on the Brooklyn Nets at the FedExForum for their third and final matchup of the season. While the break was needed for rest and injury recovery purposes, the team will have to manage rust.
Winners of nine out of their last 10, the Grizzlies are looking to keep up their high level of play with rookie center Zach Edey close to return as he enters tonight with a doubtful injury designation. One specific area has become the identity of the team this season and it has them ascending as one of the best teams in the NBA.
GRIZZLIES’ SCORING SURGE: FROM WORST TO FIRST
— NBA (@NBA) December 13, 2024
Last season, the Grizzlies finished 13th in the West, averaging a league-low 105.8 points per game.
This season? They lead the NBA in scoring (122.1 ppg) and boast a 17-8 record, tied for second in the West after winning nine of… pic.twitter.com/grLabYF2Ym
From worst to first on offense
The Grizzlies are now the highest-scoring team in the NBA this season averaging 122.1 points and have scored 115+ points in 10 straight games. Their average of 126.7 points per game in their last 10 games is their third-longest such streak in franchise history, only trailing a 12-game streak in the 2022-23 season and an 11-game streak in the 2021-22 season.
The Grizzlies ranked last in the NBA last season with a 105.8 points per game average, and if they were to keep pace with their current scoring average it would mark the biggest jump in one season since the shot clock era began in the 1954-55 season.
Memphis has scored 140+ points in a game twice this season, tying the single-season franchise record in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Balanced scoring can be attributed to the Grizzlies' scoring spike as seven players average at least 10.7 points per game.
Two additional players are close to the 10-point average with 9.6 points (Marcus Smart) and 9.5 points (Jay Huff). In addition to the player's scoring averages, seven Grizzlies have scored in double figures in a single game 12 times this season. To compare, no other NBA team has more than five such games this season.
Tuomas Iisalo's insertion into the assistant coaching chair has helped make the Grizzlies an offensive juggernaut after his stint leading the Paris Basketball team to a EuroCup title earlier this year with the highest scoring average in EuroCup history. Jaren Jackson Jr.'s rise in offensive production and Ja Morant's return and willingness to get others involved have the Grizzlies on track to be the NBA's best offensive team.
The Grizzlies' identity historically has been based on the defensive end of the court, and while they are still very productive and one of the league's best teams on the end (fifth in Defensive Efficiency), their offense is making waves around the association. The Memphis Grizzlies are not only back to being one of the league's best teams but they have reinvented themselves on their way back to the top of the standings.