(Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
The 2024-25 NBA season begins. We break down the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy prospects for all 30 teams. enjoy!
memphis grizzlies
2023-24 season ends
off season movements
Added: Zach Eady, Jalen Wells, Cam Spencer, Jay Huff
Excluded Players: Ziare Williams, Trey Jemison, Derrick Rose, Jordan Goodwin, Timmy Allen, Xavier Simpson, Jack White, Lamar Stevens, Yuta Watanabe (oh my god, the Grizzlies had one last season) There were a lot of players)
complete roster
The big question: Will they be able to stay healthy and find the right balance?
Memphis was always scheduled to start behind the eight-ball last season, and Ja Morant was suspended for 25 games. But the plan to hold on until the superstar returned soon drowned the Grizzlies.
Starting with the announcement last night before Steven Adams would miss the entire season, nearly every mission-critical Memphian missed extra time. As The Ringer’s Zach Crum points out, the Grizzlies used more players and more starting lineups last year than any team in NBA history — for a total of 577 games. This was the result of 20 different players being absent from this absurd game.
Memphis was already 6-19 when Morant debuted. After making a nine-game cameo appearance, when he tore the labrum in his right shoulder, the Griz had no choice but to scramble through the rest of their schedule and wait until next year.
There was a glimmer of hope. Desmond Bane, tasked with being the primary option in Morant’s absence, averaged 23.7 points and 5.5 assists per game, both career highs, and had the highest usage rate ever as a pro and above-average shooting efficiency. Maintained. Jaren Jackson Jr. helped coach Taylor Jenkins manage to coax a near-top-10 defense out of a MASH unit. And while he didn’t surf the usage efficiency curve as deftly as Bane, Jackson also scored and facilitated at a career-best clip in a role that required self-sufficiency. Almost 41% of his baskets last season were unassisted, and after Morant left midway through the season, JJJ ranked fourth in the NBA in usage rate behind Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and Jalen Brunson. Ta.
Vince Williams Jr. emerged from the fluidity of Memphis’ roster. Vince Williams Jr. is a tenacious stopper who stands 6’4″ tall with a 6’11” wingspan and has emerged as a complementary scorer and playmaker. GG Jackson II, the youngest player in the NBA, was given more than 1,200 minutes of reps to suggest his game is up to the NBA level, even though he is best suited for a reserve role at this point. This gave Scottie Pippen Jr. an opportunity to prove he could make an impact as a defensive and table-setting backup point guard. He made the most of it, performing well in summer league and preseason and earning a solid contract.
The Grizzlies also received the No. 9 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, giving them a chance to add a big piece to their 50-win team. They won the biggest piece on the board. At 7-foot-4 and weighing 305 pounds, Purdue center Zach Eadie is the kind of mall screener, dominant offensive rebounder and huge low-block target that could change Memphis’ offense.
The most efficient post option in the preseason was, you guessed it, Grizzlies rookie Zach Eady.
Patience and touch show up in the film. Great hands and wide catch radius. I don’t know if doubling down on one pass works against him, but he’s willing to stop doing it, and soon. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/DPujnoe8ZC
— Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) October 15, 2024
The theory of this case is clear. Bring the wounded back to health. Pair them with younger guys. Add giant. Resume that trick. But it’s not as simple as “put Ja back where he was before his suspension.”
Is Eadie ready to start right away as a center for a championship contender? How quickly can JJJ adjust to his new frontcourt partner and regain Defensive Player of the Year level effectiveness? He played in just six games last season due to an Achilles tendon tear. Is Brandon Clarke ready to play like a Premier League substitute again?
How will Memphis integrate Smart and Kennard once the roster is all in place? Although neither player has played much with Morant. (Also, I know Smart is a “stretch 6,” but…is he basically a 6’3 combo forward now?) Morant, who is a subtle shooter, Smart, JJJ (slightly 32.6 feet), how crowded will the half-court offense become? % from deep over the past four seasons) Sharing the court with Eady? And if Jenkins downsizes to shoot more on the floor — a three-guard lineup of Morant, Bane, and Kennard gave up 91 points in 102 minutes to opponents two seasons ago — how will the Griz avoid getting sliced on the perimeter or slammed into the boards? ?
To answer these questions, we need to get everyone on the court…and there, too, Memphis got off to a rocky start. Both Williams and Jackson will miss the start of the season. JJJ did not play in the preseason due to a hamstring strain. Morant’s preseason premiere provided some thrilling memories, but…
…He also left early after twisting his ankle and has been sidelined with a “minor sprain” ever since.
Both Morant and Jackson Jr. are expected to be ready for the season opener. This is clearly a good thing. These resurgent Grizzlies have a lot of potential answers to the questions they will face in the loaded West. But you will have to do everything in your power to find them.
best case scenario
Morant’s return and Eadie’s addition return a team that finished last in the NBA in points in the paint last season to the team that led the league the past four seasons. The self-created growth that Bane and JJJ have shown makes them even more dangerous once Ja returns and doesn’t have to do as much. With the return of Smart, Kennard, Clark, and John Conchar, the Grizzlies now have a capable veteran base to rely on. The continued development of youngsters Williams, Jackson, Pippen, Santi Aldama and Jake Laravia gives Jenkins fresh legs to deploy into a faster-paced offense. All of this adds up to a top-10 finish on both sides, over 50 wins, and a solid run in the postseason — the Griz pick up right where they left off when everything went haywire. Ta.
If everything falls apart
The disparate parts never fully come together. The new offensive scheme proves to be neither fish nor bird, with the idea of a more fluid, distributed attack minimizing Morant’s ball-dominant effect and a high-octane mentality allowing the huge Eadie to play down low. It makes it more difficult to break through. Jenkins finds a solid two-way lineup with enough shooting, point-of-attack defensive steals, and rebounding to compete with the monsters of the West, despite having a lot of interesting pieces to play with. I’m having a hard time. Morant, Bane and Jackson miss extensions, and suddenly Memphis looks much thinner than expected. The Griz failed to make the play-in, failed to advance to the postseason, and find themselves in even bigger trouble heading into the summer.
fantasy spin
The Grizzlies have great talent, including Jackson. JJJ is one of the most reliable defensive talents, and his scoring and 3S contributions will make him a top pick in the third round. Bane ranks higher than Morant in my rankings, but Morant’s ADP is about 6 spots better than Bane. Bane has an advantage for me in category leagues because he is more efficient and turns the ball less. Morant is suited to a points league like Paolo Banchero.
I’m more aggressively drafting Eadie as a late round pick. Edy has the tools to be a great fantasy player. His blocking, rebounding, and shooting efficiency will immediately help fantasy managers. His profile tracks players who make an impact in limited minutes, even if they play 20-25 minutes every night. Eadie is scheduled to advance to the ninth round, but will spend until the eighth round if he feels he is unavailable. — Dan Titus
2024-25 schedule
I’ve been on teams for the Grizzlies for a long time…and that’s no different here! A leap of 21 wins sounds ridiculous, but the last two mostly healthy times we’ve seen this team win 56 and 51 games, and they might have more depth this time around. I don’t know. Put that 47.5 on the table. Super Grizz is about to jump off the ladder and fly into oblivion.
