The start of the Memphis Grizzlies’ season has been, well… less than ideal.
The Grizzlies not only rank at the standings of the bowl of the Western Conference but fall even a step further, ranking dead last in the entire NBA with a record of 1-8. As shaky as the start of the season has been for the team wearing the Beal Street blue, it is too early to panic, and here is why.
Don’t Panic Memphis Grizzlies fans… Yet
73 Games Left to Go
Seven games into the NBA season last year, here is what the standings of the Western Conference looked like:
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Utah Jazz
- San Antonio Spurs
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Denver Nuggets
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Golden State Warriors
- L.A Clippers
- L.A Lakers
At this point in the season last year, the Blazers, Jazz, and Spurs were all set to have home-court advantage come April. Fast-forward 70+ games and most of the top-seeded October teams made the playoffs.
The Clippers, Lakers, and Warriors all sat near the bottom of the conference during this time of the season. When the end of the regular season bell rang, all three of these teams were playing playoff basketball.
This is a reminder that it is just too early to come up with a concrete opinion on any team in the NBA, including the Grizzlies. The level of play for a team as the season goes on simply changes, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
For the Better: How the Grizzlies Season Can Turn Around
The number one thing that could swing the Grizzlies’ season in the right direction is simple: fewer players on the injury report.
The level of play Memphis has personified throughout these games has undoubtedly been on the lower level. Also, having an injury report the length of a page out of a phonebook does not benefit them. Rotation pieces like John Konchar, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Derrick Rose getting back into the fold will help this team immensely.
The Grizzlies have struggled mightly when going to their second unit, averaging the seventh-least bench points in the association with 28.2 per game. The Grizzlies last year were towards the middle of the pack when coming to points off the bench, ranking 15th at 34.8 PPG.
Finding the Missing Wing
The search to find the wing to pair alongside Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ja Morant when he returns seems more blurry than ever.
Ziaire Williams, the Grizzlies’ former 10th overall pick, had a strong preseason showing. He averaged 12.4 PPG, shooting 52.5% from the floor and a blistering 45% from three. He looked like he might have finally shaken off his sophomore struggles and started to tap back into the potential he flashed his rookie year, but well…
Sophomore Williams has seemed to return.
So far in the early NBA season, he has averaged 9.1 PPG, shooting 40% from the field and 31.4% from three. And although it is early, other things have peaked concern about Williams’ play thus far. The main thing is he looks indecisive.
He has the second-worst assist-to-turnover ratio on the team. This is very concerning, given this was one of Williams’ significant flaws last year. But again, it is early.
If he can turn it around and become the player he was in the preseason, the Grizzlies will start to rack up more wins. But, if he continues down this same trajectory, the Grizzlies may need to re-evaluate and move on from the former Stanford product at the starting wing position.
For the Worse: How the Grizzlies Season Doesn’t Turn Around
This is relatively simple. One, they continue to get injured and stay injured. Two, they don’t find a wing to play alongside their stars.
Other minor problems have plagued the Grizzlies so far, like overhelping and just not making their shots. But as of now, these are the two major problems holding the Grizzlies back.
And if these problems were to get fixed, it would contribute to winning immediately.
