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Memphis Grizzlies 2024-25 Season Preview: Ja Morant and the most intriguing contender

Memphis Grizzlies 2024-25 Season Preview: Ja Morant and the most intriguing contender

(Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

The 2024-25 NBA season is here! We break down the top questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy outlooks for all 30 teams. Enjoy!

  • Additions: Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, Cam Spencer, Jay Huff

  • Subtractions: Ziaire Williams, Trey Jemison, Derrick Rose, Jordan Goodwin, Timmy Allen, Zavier Simpson, Jack White, Lamar Stevens, Yuta Watanabe (holy crap the Grizzlies had so many players last season)

  • Full roster

Here's everything you need to know for the 2024-25 NBA season. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)Here's everything you need to know for the 2024-25 NBA season. (Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

Memphis was always expected to start behind the 8-ball last season as Ja Morant received a 25-game suspension. But the plan to stay afloat until the superstar’s return quickly led to the Grizzlies’ downfall.

Beginning with the announcement shortly before the premiere that Steven Adams would miss the entire season, virtually every business-critical Memphian missed an extended season. As Zach Kram of The Ringer notes, the Grizzlies used more players last year And more starting lineups than any other team in NBA history — the result of 20 different players making an absurd mistake 577 Total games.

When Morant debuted, Memphis was already 6-19. When he tore the labrum in his right shoulder after a nine-game cameo, the Grizz had no choice but to criticize the rest of the schedule and wait until next year.

There was Silver linings. Desmond Bane, pressed into service as the primary option in Morant’s absence, averaged 23.7 points and 5.5 assists per game, both career highs, and maintained above-average shooting efficiency at what was by far his highest usage rate as a pro . Jaren Jackson Jr. helped coach Taylor Jenkins coax a near top-10 defense from a MASH unit. And while he didn’t traverse the usage-efficiency curve quite as deftly as Bane, Jackson also scored and hosted the best clips of his career in a role that required his own cooking; He scored nearly 41% of his baskets unassisted last season, and with Morant out for the season, JJJ ended up on the leaderboard fourth In the NBA, he trails only Joel Embiid, Luka Dončić and Jalen Brunson in usage rate.

Memphis’ roster turnover produced Vince Williams Jr., a tenacious 6-foot-4 stopper with a 6-foot-11 wingspan who excelled as a complementary scorer and playmaker. It gave GG Jackson II, the youngest player in the NBA, more than 1,200 minutes worth of reps, suggesting his game translates to the NBA level — even if he’s best suited to a reserve role at this point . It gave Scotty Pippen Jr. a chance to prove he can make an impact on defense and game plan as a backup point guard; He made the most of it and had strong performances in Summer League and preseason to secure a guaranteed deal.

This also secured the Grizzlies the 9th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft – a chance to try to add a big piece to a 50-win team. They captured the biggest figure on the court: 7-foot-1, 300-pound Purdue center Zach Edey, the kind of devastating screener, dominant offensive rebounder and massive low-block target who could transform Memphis’ offense :

The theory of the case is clear: make sure the injured get well; combine them with the young people; add a giant; Continue cheering this trick. But it’s not quite as simple as “spawn back exactly where you were before Ja’s suspension.”

Is Edey ready to start immediately in the middle of a championship contender? How quickly can JJJ adjust to a new frontcourt partner and can he return to Defensive Player of the Year effectiveness? Is Brandon Clarke, who played just six games last season after tearing his Achilles tendon, ready to play like a quality reserve again?

How does Memphis integrate Smart and Kennard, neither of whom played much with Morant, when all are available? (Also, I know Smart is a “stretch-6,” but…is he basically a 6-foot-3 combo forward right now?) How overloaded will the halfcourt offense be with questionable shooters Morant, Smart, and YYY (only 32.6). % from deep in the last four seasons) share the spot with Edey? And if Jenkins downsizes to get more shots on the floor — the Morant-Bane-Kennard three-man team outscored opponents by 91 points in 102 minutes two seasons ago — then how can the Grizz avoid that be torn to pieces at the edge and thrown onto the boards? ?

To answer these questions, you have to get everyone on the court… and here, too, Memphis got off to a rocky start. Williams and Jackson will both miss the start of the season. JJJ did not play in the preseason with a hamstring strain. And while Morant’s preseason premiere offered some exciting memories…

…he also retired early after twisting his ankle and has since been sidelined with a “mild sprain.”

Both Morant and Jackson Jr. are expected to be ready for the season opener; That’s good, of course. These restored grizzlies have a lot of potential answers to the questions they face in a crowded West. But they’ll need all hands on deck to find her.

The return of Morant and the arrival of Edey transform a team that finished last in the NBA in points last season back into the team that led the league in the last four seasons. The self-creation growth that Bane and JJJ showed makes them even more dangerous when they no longer have to do as much with Ja. The returns of Smart, Kennard, Clarke and John Konchar give the Grizzlies a full cast of capable veterans to rely on; The continued development of young players Williams, Jackson, Pippen, Santi Aldama and Jake LaRavia gives Jenkins fresh legs to use in a faster-paced offense. It all adds up to top-10 finishes on both sides of the ball, 50-plus wins and a strong postseason run – the Grizz are picking up right where they left off when everything went haywire.

The different parts never quite fit together. The new offensive scheme proves neither fish nor fowl, with the idea of ​​a more fluid and decentralized attack minimizing Morant’s ball-dominating effectiveness and a higher-octane ethos making the massive Edey harder to play through in depth. With so many intriguing pieces to play with, Jenkins has struggled to find consistent two-way lineups with enough shooting, point defense and rebounding to compete with the monsters in the West. Morant, Bane and/or Jackson miss a long stretch and suddenly Memphis looks a lot thinner than we thought. The Grizz are sputtering into play-in, failing to make the postseason and facing even bigger questions heading into the summer.

The Grizzlies are loaded with fantasy talent, starting with Jackson. JJJ is one of the most reliable defensive players, and his contribution in scoring and three-pointers makes him a top third-round pick. Bane ranks higher than Morant in my rankings, although Morant’s ADP is about six spots higher than Bane’s. For me, Bane has the edge in the category leagues because he is more efficient and turns the ball over less. Morant is better suited to points leagues like Paolo Banchero.

I selected Edey more aggressively as a late-round pick. Edey has the tools to be a good fantasy player – his blocking, rebounding and shooting efficiency can immediately help fantasy managers. Even though he plays 20 to 25 minutes every night, his profile suggests a player who can make an impact in limited minutes. Edey goes in the ninth round, but I would invest until the eighth round if you feel he won’t be available. — Dan Titus

I’ve been swearing by the Grizzlies for a long time… and that won’t change here either! A jump of 21 wins sounds absurd, but the last two mostly healthy versions of this team we’ve seen won 56 and 51 games, and this one could be deeper than this. Place the 47.5 on a table. Super Grizz is about to jump off a ladder and blast it into oblivion.