The Grizzlies are a front office move away from wrecking the entire NBA.
Out of all the teams that will be sent home in the first round, you could make the argument that the Grizzlies have the most upside going forward.
A team that has talented guards on the perimeter in Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks, along with a potential emerging star in Jaren Jackson, Jr. You have to remember that Jackson Jr. was giving this team 17.4 points a night in 2019-20. He was slowed down a lot this year by a knee injury that limited him to just 11 regular-season games. If he can get fully healthy and build on his young success in the league, he could be a legitimate second or third option to Morant.
Everyone knew Brooks and Morant were legit but we didn’t know they would be THIS legit. The attitude and grit they played with during this postseason in crucial games was impressive. Morant showed why he was a No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and why he has invigorated this franchise. He averaged 30 points and 8 assists during the playoffs, playing against the team with the best record in the NBA, and he even helped the Grizzlies steal a game from them. Brooks averaged nearly 26 points a game himself, and showed that he could be the primary defender a team needs to put on the talented guards in this league.
The Play-In run, along with this playoff series against the Jazz, should be boost for this team that’s already ahead of schedule. This team now has the experience and confidence to be able to play in these pivotal moments moving forward.
The only thing they are lacking now is another scoring star that can help lead their bench when Morant goes out and Brooks gets into foul trouble. Someone on the level of a C.J. McCollum or Michael Porter, Jr. that can fill it up when the team goes through scoring droughts would be ideal. If the front office could make a move to get a player like that, or trade a pick or two to get a player like that in the draft, the Grizzlies will be putting the upper echelon teams in the NBA on notice pretty soon.
Morant and Brooks will likely continue to progress, they got too much dawg in them not to. If Jackson, Jr. can stay healthy and get back in his flow along with another legitimate scoring option surrounded by shooters like Desmond Bane and Grayson Allen, the league will be in trouble.
Mark my words, the Grizzlies will be real contenders before you know it.