The Grizzlies fell short against the Los Angeles Clippers last night which was only their third loss in their last 15 games. Furthermore, it was their first loss at home since a November 19th loss to the Denver Nuggets, snapping their eight-game home win streak.
The Clippers game marked their last game before Christmas where they will be at home with their families enjoying the holiday. While last night's defeat was disappointing, the team has a lot to be thankful for this season.
Their biggest gift came from the unknown of multiple players that have made them the deepest team in the NBA.
Depth
The Grizzlies presumably had their rotation of guys set with the only question being if Scotty Pippen Jr. could become the backup point guard. Even that question was somewhat solved with Marcus Smart's return to the lineup as he could serve as the de facto point guard, even as the projected starter at small forward.
However, Scotty Pippen Jr. entered training camp with the opportunity to earn the spot after an impressive end-of-season audition last season on a two-way contract and a great summer league performance that had people thinking he got robbed of MVP. The other questions came in the wing rotation after late offseason injuries to GG Jackson and Vince Williams Jr. sidelined them for the beginning of the season and with the fifth big man spot.
For the wing rotation, rookie Jaylen Wells stepped in to take command of not only the starting small forward spot but also the top half of the Rookie of the Year race surrounded by first-round draft picks. Jake LaRavia also stepped in after a disappointing beginning to last season when he was in a similar predicament.
Santi Aldama's flexibility to play small forward also helped ease the burden left by not only the injuries to Vince and GG but also to Luke Kennard, Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart, who have all missed time this season due to injuries. As for the fifth big spot, the Grizzlies waived former two-way contract player Trey Jemison this summer after a so-so summer league performance and replaced him with Jay Huff, who had a great summer league with the Orlando Magic.
Jay Huff quickly impressed when allowed to play in the team's first two games without Jaren Jackson Jr., and went on to have arguably his best game of the season when Jaren returned in the Grizzlies' third game against.....the Orlando Magic.
While the Grizzlies continued to nurse the injury bug at the beginning of this season, their depth presented its biggest gift as they have made themselves a top-three Western Conference team without having one single game of the entirety of the roster or the projected rotation of guys available to play.