With the 2025-26 season just around the corner, it’s worth taking a moment to think about last year — the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Overall, the Grizzlies had a great season, despite an ending that left their fan base wanting more.
Recently, it has felt a little bit like Groundhog Day in Memphis. The team plays competitive basketball, advances to the postseason, but falls short in the end. Then the next year rolls around, and it’s a similar storyline. The Grizzlies have the talent and depth to be able to compete on a high level and match up with the top teams in the Western Conference; however, this is a team that struggles with consistency. Until that is addressed, Groundhog Day could potentially repeat itself yet again.
Grizzlies on the rise
For the majority of last season, Memphis was a top-ranked team in both the Southwest Division and Western Conference. On December 31, 2024, the Grizzlies had an impressive 23-11 record, making them the second-best team in the West and giving them sole possession of their division’s number one spot.
Memphis played its best basketball in November and December of 2024, winning 20 out of 28 games during that time frame. The team hit their stride at the end of November when they went on an exciting six-game winning streak.
The most notable game of this dominating stretch of the season came against the defending champions, as the Grizzlies capped off their trip to Boston with a statement victory on the road. Not only did Memphis secure the win that night, but they did so in gravity-defying fashion; it was in this game that Ja Morant had his double-clutch, reverse dunk, which was later named AT&T NBA Dunk of the Year for the 2024-25 season, voted by fans.
The tale of two halves
After such an amazing start to the season, the second half of the year was not the same. Memphis had a decent run in January and part of February, winning 13 out of 20 games from the start of the year until the All-Star Break. However, the Grizzlies turned into a completely different team after the All-Star Game. It truly was a tale of two halves.
From March until the end of the regular season, Memphis lost over 50% of its games. Every team will go through rough patches during the season, but this rough patch seemed to last for far too long. Injuries did factor into their downfall, but there’s more to the story. It felt like Memphis simply ran out of energy in the second half of the year, after giving it their all for several months leading up to the All-Star Game.
Consistency is the key to success
As the saying goes, start strong and finish even stronger. This is what Memphis needs to do moving forward if they want to be a true title contender. When there are injuries on the team, other people on the roster need to step up. If they hit a tough stretch in the season, they need to find ways to bounce back stronger. Learning how to be consistent with pace, style, defensive intensity, and making adjustments along the way, is how a championship-level team is built.
No team is perfect, but championship teams will make those adjustments and figure out ways to consistently bring their A game. Memphis is ready to take that next step, but first, they need to work on consistency. With a new coach running the show, the Grizzlies can start on the right foot. Hopefully, Memphis can put its version of Groundhog Day in the rearview mirror and truly shine next year in the playoffs.