The Grizzlies' 4-10 start to the regular season isn't only disappointing to the team and the fanbase, but it is also historically a tough hole to climb out of. Along with eight other teams this season with a 4-10 record or worse, the Grizzlies' path to the playoffs is something only a few teams have done since the 2000-01 season.
Only 10 teams have made the playoffs after beginning the season with a 4-10 record or worse, and only nine have rebounded to end the season with at least a .500 record. Specifically, when talking about the Western Conference, that list only includes two teams. With the odds stacked against them, can the Grizzlies become the next team to reverse their misfortune?
Memphis has to start stacking wins soon
Preparation meets opportunity, and the Grizzlies have plenty of them in their schedule coming up to get their season back on the right track. The two Western Conference teams to begin a season similarly to this year's Grizzlies and make the playoffs since 2000 were the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022-23 and the New Orleans Pelicans in 2021-22.
It's no coincidence that those two seasons occurred after the NBA's Play-in Tournament was introduced at the end of the 2020-21 season. That season saw the Grizzlies benefit from it as the ninth seed, stealing a bid into the playoffs after defeating the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors.
The next season saw the Pelicans begin 2-12 before entering the Play-In Tournament as a ninth seed and winning two games to secure an eight seed. Grizzlies fans remember the Lakers team that rebounded from a 4-10 start to win their Play-In Tournament game as the seventh seed the following season, and defeat them in the first round of the playoffs.
Making the Play-In Tournament was always the realistic goal for this Grizzlies team, even before the injuries kicked in. Now, their 4-10 start nearly ensures that they will have to strive for a Play-In finish as the depth of the Western Conference will make a top-six finish tough to obtain.
However, the proof is there that they can turn things around, especially considering those same Pelicans and Lakers teams experienced similar injury misfortune the Grizzlies are facing now. Fortunately for the Grizzlies, their schedule lightens up with games against other teams in a similar standing to them at the moment. They can quickly begin to turn things around if they take advantage.