Memphis Grizzlies grinded their way to a playoff spot a year ago when they were forced to deal with significant injuries to the majority of their roster. Marc Gasol and Mike Conley both suffered season-ending injuries in the second half while Jeff Green and Courtney Lee were both traded away before the deadline when it seemed as though Memphis would have an extremely difficult time contending for a championship. Dave Joerger found a way to maximize the potential of his roster in order to make the postseason but was rewarded for his efforts when he was fired and replaced by David Fizdale. The Grizzlies are hoping the coaching change, a busy offseason and a little better luck could help put them back in the conversation among the Western Conference elite this season.
Offseason Changes
The biggest change made was replacing Joerger with a rookie head coach in Fizdale and it will be interesting to see whether or not he is up for the challenge in a pressure situation. Many people felt that Joerger was given a short hand in terms of talent in Memphis and consistently made the most of it. Apparently the Grizzlies brass felt otherwise.
Memphis allowed Chris Anderson, Matt Barnes and Lance Stephenson to walk this offseason and invested heavily in players they felt were better fits. That includes Chandler Parsons, who was signed to stretch the floor with his three-point shot and open up room for Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph inside. The wing positions have long been a weakness in Memphis, and Parsons should be the best player they’ve seen in that role in quite some time.
The Grizzlies landed a potential star at the NBA Draft in Wade Baldwin and then landed another quality depth player in Deyonta Davis. Both players could contribute right away coming off the bench this season.
Strengths
A lot can be taken from the fact that Memphis made the playoffs a year ago despite all of the injuries the team dealt with. The Grizzlies are one of the toughest teams in the NBA and their perseverance a year ago was a testament to their competitiveness. Gasol and Randolph have the potential to make up one of the top frontcourt tandems in the NBA if they can stay healthy while Mike Conley can be a premier two-way point guard if he can avoid injuries. Parsons was an extremely important free agent signing and the hope is that his pure shooting ability can really help space the floor and open up room on the inside.
Weaknesses
Durability has been a major issue for this franchise over the years and there is no guarantee that veterans like Gasol and Conley will be able to avoid those problems this season. The depth isn’t outstanding beyond the starting five, so injuries could definitely have a significant impact on this team’s fortunes. Once again, they’re hoping that their starting five will be good enough but realistically, while they can compete with teams in terms of the frontcourt and the point guard position, they don’t have the same depth on the wings or on the bench as teams like the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder.
The gritty approach the Grizzlies have taken makes them an outlier in the Western Conference where offensive flash and high-powered offenses have dominated the landscape. This will be Fizdale’s first head coaching gig and it’s hard to imagine him representing an upgrade over Joerger.
Outlook
The fact that Memphis overcame so many significant injuries to finish seventh in the Western Conference last season is a testament to their resilience and we aren’t willing to bet against them improving with some better luck this season. Parsons was an underrated signing and if the Grizzlies can stay healthy then they will have one of the better starting five units in the NBA. Gasol, Randolph, Conley, Parsons and Tony Allen will lead Memphis to one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference this season as they attempt to finally perform to their championship potential with a healthy roster as their title window continues to close.
Prediction: 2nd in Southwest Division; 4th in Western Conference
