3 obvious moves Taylor Jenkins must make to maximize Grizzlies lottery odds

2. Find out what the Grizzlies have with trade deadline acquisitions

As has already been deemed the case among a large portion of the fanbase, this lackluster campaign is being viewed as a gap year rather than a lost season.

Because of this, it seems that morale is still rather high within the locker room and the coaching staff has been more eagerly willing to shell out meaningful minutes to players who, in any other instance, likely wouldn't even come close to sniffing substantial on-court action.

As noted earlier, already this luxury has proved to be quite beneficial for several players, with Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson serving as the golden children of such a category, as the two have all but cemented their fate as being long-term contributors for the Grizzlies with their play.

Now, it's time to see if anyone else is worthy of being viewed in such a light, and trade deadline acquisitions Lamar Stevens and Yuta Watanabe are players Jenkins should be eager to see more of during this final stretch of the season.

Already, we've seen Stevens showcase a rough-and-tough mentality and style of play that Memphis has historically adored, and has been effective during his nine games of action with the team. With his impending free agency, he's made a case that he's worth the front office's consideration to be brought back for next year.

As for Watanabe, he possesses a long-range shooting skill set (37.0 percent career three-point shooter) that could be of great use within their reserves once they get back to relevancy come next season.

This coupled with his low-cost, $2.6 million player option for 2024-25 and his established familiarity with Memphis (played with the organization from 2018 through 2020) make him an interesting name to monitor moving forward.