{"id":112556,"date":"2024-12-16T19:12:35","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T00:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=112556"},"modified":"2024-12-16T19:12:35","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T00:12:35","slug":"the-grizzlies-gold-mine-continues-to-be-under-the-radar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/16\/the-grizzlies-gold-mine-continues-to-be-under-the-radar\/","title":{"rendered":"The League’s ‘Gold Mine’ Continues To Be Under The Radar"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> have emerged as one of the NBA\u2019s most consistent and dangerous teams this season. Their depth and balanced play have propelled them to second<\/a> place in the Western Conference with an impressive 18-9 record. Despite setbacks due to injuries, the Grizzlies remain a ‘gold mine’ team full of untapped potential that could reshape the trade market.<\/p>\n

The Grizzlies ‘Gold Mine’ Continues To Be Under The Radar For Trades<\/h2>\n

Grizzlies Dominate By Committee<\/h3>\n

The Grizzlies<\/a>‘ surge in the standings reflects their collective approach. They\u2019ve won 10 of their last 12 games. After defeating the defending champion Celtics in Boston, Memphis followed up with 140 and 135-point explosions against the Wizards and Nets respectively.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s offense has been exceptional, ranking first in the NBA with 122.1<\/a> points per game. Memphis has embraced its roots, ranking<\/a> top five<\/a> in rebounding, points in the paint (rank first), and second-chance points. Their grit-and-grind legacy endures, even as their playstyle evolves. No Grizzlies player averages more than 30 minutes per game, underscoring the team\u2019s incredible depth.<\/p>\n

Stars Leading the Charge<\/h3>\n

Ja Morant\u2019s<\/a> return has revitalized the team. The Grizzlies are 11-5<\/a> when he plays, and he\u2019s averaging 22.0 points and a career-best 8.4 assists. His ability to push the pace has been vital to Memphis\u2019 offensive success.<\/p>\n

Jaren Jackson Jr<\/a>. is having the best season of his career. He is tied with Morant<\/a> for the team lead in scoring at 22.0 points per game. On defense, Jackson is the NBA\u2019s only player averaging more than 1.5 blocks and steals per game. He\u2019s also stayed durable, missing just two games this season.<\/p>\n

Desmond Bane<\/a>, despite a down year, has remained a key contributor<\/a>. He\u2019s averaging 14.4 points and 4.4 assists. His leadership and adaptability continue to shine.<\/p>\n

Unlikely Contributors Fuel Memphis<\/h3>\n

Rookie Jaylen Wells<\/a> has exceeded expectations, averaging 11.4 points with strong shooting splits (45.5\/39.0\/80.9). He\u2019s building a compelling Rookie of the Year case<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Santi Aldama<\/a> has been another revelation. He\u2019s posting career highs in points (13.2) and rebounds (7.3) while anchoring Memphis\u2019 bench. The Grizzlies<\/a> rank first in bench scoring with 48.2<\/a> points per game, and Aldama\u2019s<\/a> consistency has been critical.<\/p>\n

Even reclamation projects have found roles. Scotty Pippen Jr.<\/a> is averaging 10.3 points and 5.1 assists, while Jay Huff<\/a> is adding 9.1 points on highly efficient shooting splits (51.5\/41.1\/75.6). Huff also ranks second on the team in effective field goal percentage (64.7)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Deep Rotation With Trade Potential<\/h3>\n

Memphis\u2019 depth allows them to compete nightly, but it also creates opportunities for trades. Their rotation includes Morant<\/a>, Bane, Jackson Jr., Aldama, Wells, Marcus Smart,<\/a> and Brandon Clarke<\/a>, among others. Valuable assets like Jake LaRavia<\/a>, Luke Kennard<\/a>, and Pippen Jr. could entice teams looking for reliable talent.<\/p>\n

As the trade season begins, the Grizzlies have the pieces to make impactful moves. Their bloated roster means they could consolidate talent while maintaining their depth.<\/p>\n

The Grizzlies Gold Mine Continues to be Under the Radar<\/h3>\n

The Grizzlies have quietly built one of the league\u2019s deepest teams. The Grizzlies blend of star power and role players makes them a gold mine for trades. Whether Memphis chooses to buy or sell, they remain a team every contender should watch. The Grizzlies\u2019 success by committee has put the league on notice. Teams looking to bolster their rosters should target Memphis\u2019 depth before the trade deadline arrives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Memphis Grizzlies have emerged as one of the NBA\u2019s most consistent and dangerous teams this season. Their depth and balanced play have propelled them to second place in the Western Conference with an impressive 18-9 record. Despite setbacks due to injuries, the Grizzlies remain a ‘gold mine’ team full of untapped potential that could […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":112582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,32],"tags":[49979,2975,1842,3127,1822,49497,1948,4948,49556,769,428,3073,1382,662,563,49042,49058],"class_list":["post-112556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-grizzlies","tag-2024-25-nba-season","tag-bench","tag-brandon-clarke","tag-desmond-bane","tag-ja-morant","tag-jake-laravia","tag-jaren-jackson-jr","tag-jay-huff","tag-jaylen-wells","tag-luke-kennard","tag-marcus-smart","tag-nba-rookie-of-the-year","tag-nba-trade","tag-nba-trade-deadline","tag-nba-western-conference","tag-santi-aldama","tag-scotty-pippen-jr"],"modified_by":"Kenny Kluska","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112556"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112583,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112556\/revisions\/112583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}