The Memphis Grizzlies clinched a winning season with their 42nd victory of the season on March 12th against the Utah Jazz, their fourth in the last five seasons. With 16 games remaining the Grizzlies have a chance to secure their third 50-win season in the last four years and their seventh in franchise history.
While their success this season has been criticized by the fanbase because of their championship aspirations, last season's failure should make them grateful for a return to prominence. The Grizzlies finished last season with a 27-55 record and despite their expected returning players who missed a good chunk of last season, there was no guarantee that they would return to the top of a tough Western Conference.
However, they have returned to the expectations they set during the 2021 - 2022 and 2022 - 2023 seasons and presented a solid blueprint of how to execute such results. There are multiple teams in the NBA this season that are suffering a similar fate to last year's Grizzlies but none more than the Philadelphia 76ers.
How can the 76ers follow the Grizzlies blueprint?
They have already begun a portion of the process (no pun intended) with the announcement that star center Joel Embiid was ruled out for the season on February 28th after playing just 19 games this season. When the 76ers signed Paul George last offseason they formed a big three of him, Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey who were expected to compete for the championship this season.
However, early season injuries to Embiid and George hindered their start to the season similar to how Ja Morant's suspension and Steven Adams' season-ending injury contributed the the Grizzlies' start to the 2023 - 2024 season, which both the 76ers and '23 Grizzlies started 6-15. Ja Morant ultimately only played nine games and injuries piled up to the point that the Grizzlies set an NBA record using 33 players and 51 different starting lineups.
A blueprint the 76ers are currently following is they identified a young player in rookie Jared McCain who shined early in the season before being ruled out for the season due to a torn meniscus after playing the first 23 games of the season. GG Jackson was that player for the Grizzlies last season who showed the promise that provided hope for building around their big three for years to come.
The Grizzlies ended last season with the seventh-worst record in the NBA before falling two spots in the NBA Draft lottery order to number nine. However, they found one of the most productive rookies at a position of need with center Zach Edey and a steal in the second round with wing Jaylen Wells.
The 76ers currently have the sixth-worst record with a chance to get into the bottom five. Unlike the Grizzlies last season whose first-round draft pick was unprotected, the 76ers' first-round pick is top-six protected meaning they need to land in the top six of the draft to keep their pick.
With the expectation that the 76ers can run it back next year with their big three healthy and young pieces identified during the season and draft like the Grizzlies this season, they will need to land a pick inside the top six to keep their pick and take a player that can produce to the level that Edey has. Also, finding a steal with their second-round pick would put the icing on the cake.