Grizzlies: Taylor Jenkins talks 'phenomenal' play of Jake LaRavia after season finale

After six months of total agony and despair, the Memphis Grizzlies have officially reached the conclusion of their 2023-24 campaign, as they closed out their season Sunday afternoon in a loss against the defending champion, Denver Nuggets.

With a final record of 27-55, the ball club has now registered their worst year since 2017-18, where they finished 22-60, and just their seventh sub-30 win season since making their way to Grind City 24 years ago.

Despite the trials and tribulations this team has endured during their 82-game stretch, there have still been quite a number of bright spots and positive takeaways for fans to hang their hats on.

One example, in particular, has been the recent emergence of sophomore Jake LaRavia, who, in Sunday's finale, went on to drop a whopping 29 points on 55.0 percent shooting to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Of course, as Grizzlies fans obviously know, such a showing has become somewhat of the norm for the 22-year-old following February's All-Star break, and, during his postgame press conference, coach Taylor Jenkins couldn't help but praise his guard for his "phenomenal" efforts as of late.

Taylor Jenkins praises Grizzlies guard Jake LaRavia after season finale

"The reads he was making, I thought he was playing... with a lot of force, a lot of pop. Obviously figuring it out when he became more of a focal point on team's game plans. He was shooting the three-ball with a lot of aggressiveness... All growth in a lot of different areas. He and I have spoken recently about what the summer holds, knowing health is the biggest thing, but [I'm] super proud of him the last couple of months to have him come out and be consistent night after night and available night after night."

- Taylor Jenkins

Coming into the contest, LaRavia had seemingly finally found his stride within this Grizzlies rotation, as he had been posting impressive averages of 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and half a block while shooting 37.8 percent from distance since the start of March.

Over his final three games, the 2022 first-round selection posted 29.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 54.9 percent shooting from the floor and 53.6 percent shooting from deep.

To some such as Grind City Media's Michael Wallace, LaRavia's recent surge seems to suggest that his game is "starting to unravel" right before our very eyes.

Perhaps this type of momentum heading into the offseason could have him be set up for a possible breakout heading into year three.