The NBA has had a different champion the last seven seasons, giving other contending teams confidence that winning a championship can happen if things break right. The Memphis Grizzlies determined their core was Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane following a second-round appearance in 2022, which ended with Morant missing the last three games of their series.
Unfortunately, that became a pattern for the team as a whole as season-ending injuries impacted their last three seasons. They lost Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke in 2023, Steven Adams, Ja Morant, and Marcus Smart in 2024, and Brandon Clarke and Jaylen Wells last season. However, during two of those three seasons, they had their big three in a first-round playoff series that resulted in losses.
After getting swept by the eventual NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in their first-round series last season, general manager Zach Kleiman made an admission that the team wasn't championship caliber as constructed. He followed it up with the first huge offseason move by trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for a package that included Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four first-round draft picks, including using two of them to select Cedric Coward in this year's draft.
After other offseason moves that included signing Ty Jerome and Jock Landale, re-signing Santi Aldama, and extending Jaren Jackson Jr., are the Grizzlies better set for long-term success than before?
The Proof will play out this season
With Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. as the franchise cornerstones and entering their prime years, the Grizzlies have two top-30 NBA players with potential to keep growing into top-15 players. Ja Morant may already be in that discussion, but injuries have limited him from feeling confident in making that distinction.
The Grizzlies also did well in their replacements of Desmond Bane with Caldwell-Pope, Coward, and Jerome set to replace and/or upgrade his production in the shooting, scoring, ball handling, and defensive departments. However, plenty of questions remain about who the Grizzlies' other high-end talent is to complement Morant and Jackson Jr.
The team traded up to take Cedric Coward with the 11th overall pick of the draft, with the hope that he can develop into that player. Their All-Rookie first team center from last season, Zach Edey, received respect from ESPN as a top-100 player heading into this season. The Grizzlies' biggest problem over the years, preventing them from taking the next step, was youth.
While they got younger with Coward, Edey, Jaylen Wells, and GG Jackson among others, adding Caldwell-Pope and Ty Jerome gave them some veterans who will make their presence felt in the playing rotation. With their influx of future draft picks, intriguing young talent, and top-tier NBA players, the Grizzlies' championship window will likely be extended following their bold offseason moves.