The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the up-and-coming teams in the West to watch out for. Last year, they made the playoffs for the first time in three years, which is a great sign of progress no matter how you look at it.
The main question now is: will they be able to replicate or surpass their recent success?
With that said, here are three way-too-early bold predictions for the Grizzlies this 2021-22 NBA season.
1. The Grizzlies will qualify for the play-in tournament, but there’s a catch
The Grizzlies made the playoffs last season courtesy of the play-in tournament despite finishing ninth in the regular season. They fully deserved it, though, as they’ve been improving at a steady rate since the arrival of Ja Morant in the 2019-20 season.
However, we cannot discount the fact that the Golden State Warriors—one of the powerhouse teams when fully healthy—were shorthanded in 2020-21. Apart from missing Klay Thompson, Steve Kerr and his crew were trying to find the team’s identity through the different pieces they were given.
Although the Warriors still don’t look like the beefy roster they once were, we cannot expect the same subpar performance from them in the upcoming campaign. As such, the Grizzlies’ chances at making the playoffs for the second straight year is in deep jeopardy.
Teams that qualified to the playoffs last season will make it again this year. Among those teams, only the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks look uncertain. They both underwent coaching changes, which make their performance rather tricky to predict. Yet on paper, the Trail Blazers and the Mavericks look way better than the Grizzlies. With that said, Ja Morant and crew will once again qualify for the play-in easily, but they will have a difficult time making it out.
2. Memphis will make midseason trades
The Grizzlies’ front office seems to be keen on making roster tweaks actively. They had a pretty busy offseason with deals occurring here and there. It’s interesting how they got the likes of Eric Bledsoe and Patrick Beverley via trade but then sent them away again to another team in a matter of days. Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman appears to have a clear view of what he wants and doesn’t want as well.
With this in mind, Grizzlies fans should expect Kleiman to make roster tweaks come the February trade deadline. This definitely won’t be a trade that would bring a generational star into the fold. Memphis does not have that power and appeal just yet. Rather, it will be the addition of role players and veterans that perfectly complement Morant and Dillon Brooks’ playing styles.
1. Jaren Jackson Jr. will have a bounce-back year
Jaren Jackson Jr. came back from a meniscus tear and put up decent numbers. He averaged 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds across 23.5 minutes, albeit in just 11 games (four starts). In the playoffs, he logged in similar averages of 13.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. Given that it was his comeback year and that he played a limited amount of games, we cannot fully judge Jackson’s progress. We cannot say that he failed to improve on his sophomore season where he logged in 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks across 28.5 minutes.
If fans and analysts really want to see how Jackson has fared so far, then they should keep their eyes locked on him in 2021-22. Not only will he be a hundred percent healthy, but Jackson will be out with a vengeance. The Morant-Jackson two-man play will get a mighty resurgence. Apart from this, Jackson should be able to continue doing his thing: outclass slower big man using his footwork and craftiness.
