11 games in to the 2023-2024 NBA season, the Memphis Grizzlies were 2-9. Ja Morant was still 14 games from making his season debut. The team felt like a dark cloud was hovering over them - uncertainty abounded and the snowball effect was very real.
Fast forward almost a complete calendar year. 11 games in to the 2024-2025 season, the Memphis Grizzlies are 7-4. Ja Morant has played more, but is once again on the shelf - perhaps for an undetermined amount of time. Despite his absence, there isn’t the same negative energy.
The vibes are not immaculate - yet. But they are better than they were at this point last season.
Entering the needlessly flashy NBA Cup (yes, yes, I know, I am old), the Grizzlies have lots to be excited about. Jaren Jackson Jr. is shining brightly when the team needs him to with both Morant and Desmond Bane out. The team has once again hit on two-way contracts in Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr. And Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey are two of the best performing rookies in the entire NBA.
Those are just five of the current Grizzlies players. SEVEN of them scored at least 12 points in the Memphis win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The depth of this team, as spoken on in yesterday’s newsletter, is a reason to be positive about the current state of play in Memphis.
But it goes beyond that. The Grizzlies offense looks to be clicking on multiple levels - something that matters both now and down the road. Half court scoring has been an Achilles’s heel for the roster when the playoffs roll around. Now, in place of stagnant pick and roll, cuts, drives, and movement allow for multiple reads and multiple ways to get players involved in scoring.
Jaren Jackson Jr. as a center is THRIVING at the moment. A long-held dream by many (including yours truly), the salivating possibilities of a 6'11" athlete like JJJ whose three point shooting being inconsistent is more of strength at the “5" than it is at the “4" are endless. And yet, part of the “why” for this development is all the reps he got in the role last season. Jaren went through some lean times with less talented players around him, and those days have led us here.
But take a closer look at this roster. Is it REALLY that different than last year’s crew? Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jay Huff were Summer League contributors just four months ago. Now? They’re helping a team in the playoff mix in the loaded Western Conference in ways no one saw coming. Santi Aldama, Jake LaRavia, Jaylen Wells, and Scotty Pippen Jr. are the four leading players in minutes played for the Memphis Grizzlies.
And the team is 7-4.
Frustration is understandable. But when compared to this time last year? The sun is shining more brightly. Bask in the glow, Memphis fans. The warmth feels nice as the NBA Cup approaches.
