The Memphis Grizzlies were once looked at in the same tier as the Oklahoma City Thunder are right now. After back-to-back play-in seasons, one ending with them winning and making the playoffs as the ninth seed, they became the number two seed in back-to-back seasons from 2021 to 2023. Each season ended by losing to a veteran-laden, championship-winning, experienced team in the Golden State Warriors (2022) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2023).
What has followed since was turmoil, beginning with Ja Morant's 25-game suspension to open the 2023-24 season. Then the injury bug got worse for a team that had key injuries that contributed to their seasons ending when they were the two seed in the playoffs. However, last season found the Grizzlies back in competition for the two seed before their season bottomed out and ended with them firing Taylor Jenkins as head coach and getting swept by the Thunder in the playoffs.
Just like that, the Grizzlies are not only behind the teams they were once ahead of (the Thunder and Houston Rockets), but they find themselves back in the mix of the young teams after reshaping their roster this offseason. While that reality might be depressing to some Grizzlies' fans, it has preserved their future of contention to be available for a little while longer.
The Grizzlies were ranked in the Young and Hungry tier out West
ESPN posted about the tiers of Western Conference teams following the first wave of free agency and had the Grizzlies ranked in a tier with the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers. They finished 14 and 12 games ahead of those teams in the West standings to finish last season, respectively.
While being ranked in a tier with those teams might seem deflating, it wasn't due to the Grizzlies not being on the level of those above them. They did get younger after trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic. They received a veteran in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but drafted Cedric Coward, extended Jaren Jackson Jr., re-singed Santi Aldama, and signed Ty Jerome in follow-up moves (average age of 25.5 years old to begin next season).
Taking a step back in top-end proven talent and replacing Bane with role players and players with potential to contribute in a star role later placed the Grizzlies in their correct category. Expectations should be tempered a bit heading into next season, but their star duo of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are still young themselves at age 25.
Being ranked in the young and hungry tier matches what the Grizzlies' current roster consists of at the moment, and considering they only finished four games behind the two seed last season, they are better positioned than most of the older teams ranked ahead of them currently. Health will be the Grizzlies' biggest obstacle, especially to Ja Morant, that will determine if they can regain their momentum as a championship-level contender next season.