It is hard to say that a team currently in the play-in conversation in the NBA’s Western Conference is a true contender for the league’s championship round. It defies logic - no, a team that would barley make the old version of the postseason if the season ended today should not be considered a real title threat.
But here we are on this Friday, prepared to make that argument. The Memphis Grizzlies - the 9-7 Memphis Grizzlies - should be in the conversation among the league’s best.
Why? For starters, the numbers suggest it. Memphis’ +6.8 efficiency differential is 8th best in the entire NBA per Cleaning the Glass - the best mark of the Taylor Jenkins era so far. Perhaps more importantly, their production is consistent on both the offensive and defensive end. Their offensive efficiency is 7th in the league, and their defensive efficiency is 5th through 16 games.
Here is the list of teams currently in the NBA that also are in the top seven in both offensive and defensive efficiency as of this writing -
The Dallas Mavericks (5th in offensive efficiency, 7th in defensive efficiency).
That’s it. That’s the list. Some squads are close (Cleveland and Houston, specifically). And of course the Oklahoma City and Boston rosters are stout. But none of those four teams - nor the New York Knicks, nor the Golden State Warriors - boast a top-7 offense AND defense in terms of efficiency.
The Mavericks do. As do the Memphis Grizzlies.
The difference, though? The Memphis Grizzlies have played a whopping 13 players at least 120 minutes so far this season. In fairness, the Golden State Warriors have as well (by design). But at 11-3, the Warriors are widely accepted as a bounce back candidate this year. They’re seen as the best in the Western Conference!
Are the Memphis Grizzlies? No...not yet. But they should be.
For the team will eventually see Ja Morant return. And Zach Edey. And Vince Williams Jr. Hell, the 13 player criteria doesn’t even include GG Jackson, the young star who figures to be in the Memphis rotation full-time once back.
Their 13 man battalion has been more out of necessity than choice. But it’s been a true measure and signal of their depth. The team is playing faster than ever before (2nd in the NBA in pace). And yet they have not sacrificed their calling card in the Jenkins Era of defense while scoring at an impressive clip.
And that’s with Ja Morant missing multiple games. And Marcus Smart missing multiple games. And Desmond Bane mi....you get the picture.
The fun thing for Grizzlies fans - and the terrifying thing for the rest of the NBA - is we have no idea how good Memphis can be. Other teams will improve, sure - both internally and externally. But between the injuries and the mix of contract value and draft capital, no team is better set up to get better as the season grinds forth than the Grizzlies.
Anything can happen. After all that has transpired the last 20 months - an NBA Finals appearance?
As a wise man once said - only in the movies, and in Memphis.
